Learning to listen, and Bo Diddley
Hey friend,
Wisdom traditions from all over the world have always reminded us that if we hope to understand ourselves, our place in the world, and the larger context of life, we must learn to listen. Moreoever, in order to adequately meet the challenges of living, the wisdom traditions teach us to cultivate a curiosity and wonder about life beyond our senses. How much of what we see and hear every day in our information streams are actually encouraging us to stop and listen?
Most of what we are exposed to, from advertisements to organizing, are meant to elicit a response to a call to action. There is, no doubt, and endless amount of injustices and grave conditions to respond to. There are certainly real ways that our actions can improve the conditions of life for ourselves, other humans, and all other forms of life. Our actions have much greater impact with discernment, with the resevoir of patience, understanding, and compassion that we cultivate through listening.
Listening does not slow our capacity to respond, either. We are more efficient and effective when we know what we are responding to because we have taken the time to listen.
Here is a short and simple reminder of how to listen:
Inspired by Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover