The Art of Listening

After I typed the subject, I thought, is listening more of an art or a science? I think there is a science behind it that with careful thought and examination, it works wonders, and advancements and even innovation. The art of it is the beauty and destruction that it brings, whether if it comes at full force, at bits and pieces, or its complete absence.

Listening is a tricky thing. The act, the manner, the aftermath. So many factors affect it – who you’re listening to, how you’re listening to it, the medium used, when, your reasons, what you anticipate getting from it, the effort you have to exert, any ADD whatsoever. Oh my, I could go on and on for things that cause us to listen… or not.

And then of course, there is a huge difference between hearing and listening, similar to the difference between knowledge and wisdom. The difference between knowledge and wisdom is with knowledge, you have a lot of information, whereas wisdom, well, wisdom is how you use this knowledge. We hear so much but how much to we really listen to – how much passes our ear and goes to our hearts and minds? When we hear things, we gain information and knowledge, but when we listen, we become wise. (You can quote me on that with credit please because that’s a Ms B original haha).

Being married (well actually, I learned this way before being married, but when I started thinking that I am one half of a unit), nonetheless, with a serious relationship wherein I no longer was thinking for and about myself, I learned how much listening, or lack thereof, has really affected our lives – our lives together and our lives individually. Not only between my and my husband, but also with people around me, listening is supposed to make me (and everyone else involved) wiser, whether I am listening to someone who just needs to let something out, or if I’m listening to an advice. Having the opportunity to listen is a privilege because it gives access to information you can use to your benefit. And it’s up to you to use it.

Some people may argue ignorance is bliss, they’d rather not hear about it. True, there may be things that are better for you not to have listened to. But if you’ve had the horror to having to listen to something, once internalized, then you can know better how to react.