I used to stretch, touch my toes and listen to my Calm app. Now I instinctively reach for my I Phone to see what new disaster looms on the horizon.
The aftermath of Hurricane Ian… The atrocities in Ukraine… The January 6 Capital Hearings…
And then there is the matter of how I split my attention in so many ways. Or how I simply half-listen. Many of us, myself certainly included, often don’t really hear each other because we are too busy crafting our own response. We often don’t delve into the intricacies of a situation, recognizing the many layers of complexity because we already have a half-baked opinion.
One definition of hearing is the opportunity to be heard, to present one’s side of a case, or to be generally known or appreciated. The definition of listening is to hear something with thoughtful attention.
Have we lost this art? And if so, how can we become better listeners?
“The key to the art of listening is selectivity,” states Wilferd A. Peterson in The Art of Living. “You decide what you will accept…listen critically…with an open mind…no matter how much you disagree, for you may learn something.”
It is understandable and easy to become de-sensitized. There is only so much we can take in and respond to emotionally and intellectually.
Just recently, I watched “The U.S. and the Holocaust” – a three-part documentary by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. I was very interested in learning more about how public indifference and the maze of bureaucratic red tape could have tragic and unforeseen consequences affecting millions of innocent people.
I was also deeply curious about the integrity of our own country’s ideals – the beacon of light the U.S. was supposed to be for so many. And yet, our country had and still has harsh quota laws for immigrants, directly in opposition to the words inscribed on the “Mother of Exiles,” better known as The Statue of Liberty:
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
“The U.S. and the Holocaust” was riveting and informative, but it was difficult for me to stay focused and attentive with so much “stuff” already swirling around in my head – also competing for my attention.
Many of us agree we need to come together and look for and find common ground, so all sides can be heard. We need impassioned debates among diverse citizen groups. We need to dialogue, thrash out, work through. We need new ideas. And we need to build on these new foundations.
We often fall short. So, what can one person one lone citizen – do?
First, we can take some deep calming breaths in an effort to help our focus. We can stop multitasking and begin concentrating on one specific thing at a time. We can get out of our own way. Break out of our own silo. Pay attention. Rise to action. Develop a helpful way to respond, starting small – by extending generosity and kindness to someone in our own sphere of acquaintance that needs a helping hand. Applaud a job well done. Be a hero. Make someone’s day.
“The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.” Dalai Lama
Please share with me what good you have done to make our world and country a better place.
