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| On the river off my backyard |
Adam McHugh writes: "Nothing has changed me like listening. It has not simply been the content that I have received through listening— the words, stories and whispers of others— that has changed me; it is the very act of listening. There is something about settling in and paying attention to someone, or Someone, letting them have the floor and steer the conversation where they want to go, that is in itself transformative. (McHugh, The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction, Kindle Locations 91-93)
Listening is hard. Most people, perhaps the majority of people, are lousy listeners.
Listening is going to get worse than it has ever been. At least in the materialistic West. The landscape is barren, depopulated by the spell of the illusion of technique. The more things think and do for us, the less we think and hear for ourselves. We have lost our ears and our voice.
All people have ears; few have "ears to hear." This is creating a spiritual crisis. Jesus cannot be followed if he won't be listened to.
It's time for a Listening Revolution. Listening can change you because it brings understanding. Understanding is required to evaluate, to respond. I must understand before opening my mouth, which will give me a voice of compassion.
