The Power Of Listening

 

 The Catholic Peace Weekly has an article on listening written by a priest working in the field of spirituality and gives the readers some important aspects of the synod way of life which the Church is trying to introduce us to follow.

The attitude of listening and conversation requested during the synod process is "more open to the voices of people who have different ideas than we have and those we  tend to ignore and exclude." It's hard to accept that we have to  listen to people we don't want to talk to.

There's a saying about marketing:"Strong phrases can attract consumers' attention, but they're not enough to get them to buy." You can try to accept the importance of listening, but  you need some preparation in the  synod way of life to be willing to listen and talk to people in uncomfortable relationships.

First, listen and experience improving relationships with others. We need to learn how to  listen step by step, but for now, we need to sincerely listen to other people in the here and now. Through this process, we will learn and  experience the great power that comes from listening. 

 

If you feel that the other person listens to your voice sincerely, the way the other person treats you will change. First of all, listen to the other person's voice sincerely. At some point, you will feel that the other person's voice has softened. Experience the power of listening. Listening is not just listening to the other person's words, but also  at what the other person wants to convey, and giving feedback.

Even if we need something, we need time and effort until we get used to it naturally. For example, people want to lose weight. So they  take extreme weight loss methods, but  rarely do they succeed. People who have confidence in weight management while reducing overeating and increasing exercise time on a normal basis seem to be relatively successful. The same goes for listening. As daily experiences of listening accumulate, you will have the power to listen to the words of the person who may even be rough and clumsy in the the way they express themselves.

Not long ago, he heard the story of a writer who practiced listening and started his life anew as his relationship with people around him improved.  The author said that there was a time when he evaluated himself as a loser. Then he happened to read a book the message being simply to listen to the people around him and respond and he could feel that their attitude towards him changed and the author confesses that this change was the beginning of a new life for him.

 

Listening is more than just listening. You need patience and effort to focus on the other person's voice. Even if you try to listen, it is difficult to continue the attitude of listening if the other person shows an attitude of being wary of you. Nevertheless, the synod emphasizes a conversation of listening that sincerely listens to the other person's story. The synod's demand that we even listen to the voice of the person we want to exclude seems unrealistic. But if the changes in relationships that occur through listening are beneficial not only to the other person, but also to ourselves, it certainly seems worth making the effort so he concludes with: Let's get started listening carefully to others.