Are You Listening
The Lost Art of Opening Your Ears
By Robert J. Ottaviani
The bald eagle, the bog turtle, the African elephant, the blue whales, the gorillas, the lynx, the snow leopard, the giant panda, the black rhino, the whooping crane and the rarest of all sightings … the listener. All of the these aforementioned items share a common trait. They are all on the endangered species list, the listener having just been nominated by this author for special consideration. If we don’t act fast we could lose one of our greatest resources we have been given … listening.
When I was a child growing up my parents used to take me to their friends homes to visit. Visiting was a big social event back then with the grown ups gathering for coffee, confections, and exchanging pleasantries. Before our trip got under way I was always given two choices and I quote … “you are to been seen and not heard” and “don’t open your mouth and people won’t know how stupid you are”. I know by today’s standard I could turn them in to CASA (The National Committee For Prevention Of Child Abuse) or some organization looking to champion kid’s rights. But back then that’s not exactly how it worked. Kids today have no idea how good they have it.
So given my two choices I chose to adhere to both of them. In actuality my parents were probably right on both counts. Given my lack of experience in almost all facets of life at such a young age I could have blurted something less than brilliant. Secondly and most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to learn a valued life lesson … how to listen. Something that appears so simple to do and yet so hard for many to enact nowadays.
“Everybody’s talkng at me … I don’t hear a word they’re saying … only the echoes of my mind.” Unfortunately Freddie Neil, who authored this song is not alone.
Everyone’s talking these days. Everyone has something to say. Everyone has a point to make … but who’s listening? The lost art of listening is in imminent danger. If you haven’t noticed maybe it’s because you haven’t listened. Take note of some conversations that you encounter and see if you can spot that member of the endangered species.
Let me end by saying the following … listening restores a certain dignity to the spoken word by showing restraint and a level of interest in what others are saying. Listening allows one to exploit the virtue of patience. Listening makes for a more well rounded individual. As long as we are talking we only know what we know and think … but by listening we know what others know as well as ourselves. Are you listening?
Robert J. Ottaviani (Bert) is a cusp born Aries the ram who has lived through summer of love in the late sixties and the hippie culture that bled into the seventies. He has a passion for music, gardening and all things nature … and laffy taffy. He is freakishly aware of music trivia to absurd levels. Most days you can find him playing his guitar or jotting down lyrics. He was so impacted from the moment he first heard the Beatles that he has Beatle manianized his life, been to Liverpool, England and remains convinced he is the fifth Beatle . He is married to a gentle and lovely vibe of a woman with three wonderful children. He currently lives and resides in strawberry fields forever.
