Listening from the Heart
“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti
“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich
I had a dream the other night in which I was talking with a precious little blonde boy of perhaps two. I was teaching him about listening with his ears, and together we were walking about, pointing out ears on animals and people. I would ask, “What is this?” and he would say, “Ears!” I would ask, “What do we do with our ears?” and he would say, “Listen!” It reminded me of my own children at that age, and was such a sweet dream I did not want to wake up.
Did you grow up in an era when children were to be seen and not heard? I did. One of my great-grandfathers subscribed to a very strict religion. No one in his household--- including his own nine children and ump-teen grand- and great-grandchildren---was allowed to speak at all on the Sabbath, or any day when at table. I remember being at his house only once when I was four and knew nothing of the rules. He would give me stern, dark, looks every time I opened my mouth. Somehow, when I think of him, I also remember his old black mule that bit people. I think they may have been related.
Listening is an important skill and, as one of those dead Greeks said, ‘we have two ears and only one mouth’ for a reason. Listening begins at home; the first person to listen to is oneself. Intuition speaks softly, with great honesty, and frequently, without words. Tuning in to what is being whispered into one’s inner ear is critically important to making good decisions. Listening to others—really listening, not with the notion of how to reply, but giving your full attention to what they speak, both words and feelings—is one of the most uncommon and valuable gifts you can give. And, unlike your mouth, using your ears will never get you into trouble.
Keeping the faith,
Jane
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