Monday, October 18, 2010

To be still and listen (#626)

Listening was something I did a lot of when I was young. It is not as much a part of my routine these days now that I am much older, but still, I do listen quite a bit. I have learned that with so much going on in the world I can never learn enough. What I do know and talk about has to be specific and remain focused. Mainly because I do not wish to waste anyones time with incomplete reasoning or my own time backtracking after discovering I was wrong in some concept or fact. I am human and I will make mistakes large and subtle. The key is to only generalize when I am talking about areas that are not my forte and to always include terms like, more likely, probably, mostly. What I do find interesting is the careful way I listen now. I give listening as much attention as I give speaking. It seems to work well since I am not in constant arguments that never move forward. There is also something I do very well these days as well, I admit when I am wrong and I double check myself when challenged instead of taking offense. A maturity thing I imagine. lol. Anyway, I am still quite passionate about my points of view but I funnel that passion into being objective about other possibilities. Pure logic is helpful but does not have the human element of intuition. Lately, it seems, I am growing comfortable with trying to devise arguments that help to support a better way of living life individually and in society. I have never been much of a personal pleasure seeker in the conventional sense, however, what I find as satisfying in my life now has more to do with intellectual considerations and less with the comfort ones. Listening is now something I treasure with gratitude. It is another tool for my mind to be able to assimilate things. It is a real pleasure.

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