Saanams Mind

“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich.

As I sink into the comfort of a world of silence, I discover another aspect to it. The art of listening. In this world of so much of noise, more often than not we get so uncomfortable when silence engulfs us, we talk or have noise around to break that stillness. Oft late as I made peace with silence,speaking less, the want to air my opinions far far lesser than before, I have also learnt the art of listening. By that I mean really listen.

I first of all listen to my thoughts and listen carefully. Since I am in no hurry to verbalize them, I have time to process them better. I listen to every reasoning they give me, in a way bettering my relationship with myself and my relationship with my God. I listen to my heart, what it tells me, happy feelings, sad ones, memories, I listen to every heartbeat in me and I am on a path of a much improved understanding and relationship with “ME”.

I Listen to others when they talk. I dont just hear them talk, but really listen. To their opinions, thoughts, feelings, specially feelings. I pay attention to every lil detail of what they want to communicate with me and try and understand what they want to say and what they feel. Again listening helping me build a great relationship with them.

Listening has many tiny aspects to it. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to agree to all the other person is saying, it just means paying complete attention to what the other is saying without being in a hurry to air what you feel about the topic, without wanting to pounce on them with your opinions, without wanting to correct the other persons reasoning specially when you don’t agree with what they say. Would be of no use as the other person may just hear n not ‘listen’ to you anyway. When you are in a hurry to speak your views, you are merely nodding your head whereas your mind is nowhere listening to whats being said, its busy forming sentences to say what you want to.

A Good listener is generally smart. By listening, really listening, you learn so much more. You just have to listen in quiet n sincere silence… in your mind as well. You don’t have to persuade the one talking… you just have to understand what they want to say. If you don’t, ask them, to explain it , without giving your opinion about it .

As you go along the art of listening teaches you to hear unsaid things, those which are deep within without the words. The unspoken thoughts, those which have not been spoken aloud and when you hear them tell the other person what you heard and understood. Then there will be ‘quiet’ for the other person will ‘listen’ to what you ‘heard’.

Listen because there is nothing quite like being really ‘heard’.“Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” Sue Patton Thoele……

I have found peace in listening as much as I have found in silence. What do you think listening is all about and do you feel listening helps???

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