HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

To Listen.

In between action and reaction there is a space, and in conversation the space between speaking and answering represents the place of listening. Here one may either come alive, or here one may wither, such is the potency of being truly heard.

Listening is an act, not a passive event, requiring one to be intentional, conscious and present in order to not only hear words, or assert oneself, but to foster meaningful understanding with another. Never is there a more affirming moment than when one has been heard and understood. Listening without agenda or judgement is rarely encountered, the truest of gifts- “Listening is an act of love”- David Issay.

Other quotes on listening.

“You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart.”- Thich Nhat Hanh.

“ The hearing this is only in the ears is one thing. The hearing of the understanding is another. But the hearing of the spirit is not limited to any one faculty, to the ear or to the mind” -Chuang- Tzu.

“ When listening there is only now”- Rick Rubin.

References and Further Reading.

Rogers Carl, 1961 On Becoming a Person, A Therapists View of Psychotherapy. Constable, London.

Rosenburg Micheal, 2002 Non Violent Communication, A Language of Life. Puddle Dancer Press, Encinitas, CA

Rubin Rick, 2023 The Creative Act, A Way of Being. Cannongate Books, Edinburgh.

22nd May 2024.