Throughout the
readings of Chapter 4, the author tries to put into words what is truly
compassionate critical listening. The sentence that stuck out the most to me is
that “Listening to learn from the other is a way of enacting change in our
relationships and positions in the world.” After reading this chapter, I asked
myself the question what is listening to me and I also wondered if this
sentence meant the same thing to me as it does to others. Considering the word
relationship and positions are both words that could have different meanings in
multiple cultures.
So, what is listening, I think we
could all come up with a different explanation of what true compassionate listening
is and how we can define it. I can come up with many words that pertain to
listening, open-minded, free of bias, concentration, validation, engaging but I
don’t feel that a single word could truly define listening in one phrase and
maybe it’s not possible to put all those emotions into one sentence because listening
has many layers. I personally believe that listening is on a much deeper level
and more emotional than I had ever thought about before. Something that can’t
really be put into words but if I had to try and come up with a way to describe
it, the sentence above leads me to believe this. That listening is a way of
deeply connecting with people, and when you can reach that level of connection
that you are truly listening. This by no means must be romantically connected
but in some way whatever it is that drives your passion connects you to people
from all over and in different areas of your life. Thus, pushing you into
positons in the world that make you and the world a better person. If your
truly passionate about what you’re doing, you can easier connect to the people
you’re doing it with and in turn be a better listener.
I think it goes without saying
why this is important but to elaborate, currently I feel, myself involved, that
we are listening for all the wrong reasons, for our own personal goals. But if
the world could start to listen for the purpose of learning, we could truly
make a difference in relationships all over the world. We may not have to agree
but we could all learn something and connect with people on a deeper level and
see cultures from a different perspective. The world would be a very different
place and our culture, especially now could be in a much different position.
A great example of this comes from the book The Zen of
Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction currently on my
audible. The author Rebecca Shafir states “Listening to what motivates employees
helps them to excel in what they do best, thus creating a happier, more
fulfilling work environment.” I think this is a great example of listening that
promotes learning and creates better environments, relationships and motivation
in the work place thus pushing their company to greater heights. Giving them
the opportunity to feel heard and going forth with those actions leads to not
just a better work life but a better life. This is just one example of a type
of environment where making people happier just by listening to them and learning
from them can prove to be better for everyone. This quote from the book can be
taken on both a large and small scale both at home, school, work, and all areas
in between.
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