Cultivate Listening

I am trudging through The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery which, incidently, I am finishing because I am more then half way and not because I am particularly facinated as of yet. I find that even in the midst of books that takes months to finish, still little gems may jump out of the text to inspire or teach me something. This occurred today as I read the following.

“It’s really pleasant to listen to him (Kakuro) talking, even if you don’t care about what he’s saying, because he is truly talking to you, he is addressing himself to you. This is the first time I have met someone who cares about me when he is talking: he’s not looking for approval or disagreement, he looks at me as if he to say, “Who are you? Do you want to talk to me? How nice to be here with you?” That is what I meant by saying he is polite – this attitude that gives the other person the impression of really being there.” (page 169)

I stopped there, in the middle of a paragraph, so that I could ponder a minute. There are a number of actions that should be considered here.

1. How do I listen to others? Do I make people feel like I care about them?

2. When I join a conversation, am I (without the knowledge of others) really looking for approval from them? OR looking for a disagreement? If so, what can I do to be mindful of this and change my ways?

I think listening is a skill that we can cultivate. How about we make a deal right here, the next person we engage with today, let's try hard to make them feel important and loved? 

Funny, how a fiction work can inspire. What has inspired you recently?

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. – Proverbs 12: 15