listen( •_•)👂

2-min read

to speak is human. to listen is humane

personally, i’ve always believed that when you speak, you say the things you know (holding basic decency as a constant) but when you listen, you learn the things you don’t know. it’s hard to learn something new if you’re always blabbing.

thinking is a period of peace with your thoughts.

listening is a period of peace with other people’s thoughts.

as we navigate the complexities of a world that demands our attention, it has become increasingly important to think before we talk, to listen before we assume and to understand before we respond.

think. listen. understand not talk. assume. respond

silence is one of the most underrated skills (relatively speaking).

the noise in the world is less harmful than the noise in our heads.

which is why most times, our focus should be on silencing the noise in our head, not the noise in the world.

literally speaking, it’s impossible to do the former.

shutting the noise in our head requires moments of silence- moments of listening to our thoughts. moments of listening to other people’s thoughts.

silence is powerful. listening is beautiful.

alrightie dulra, we get it.

i’ll nod next time someone’s talking.

that’s fine but that’s not the listening im talking about.

not the passive, polite nodding that we often mistake for it.

no, i’m talking about listening that's active, intentional, and even uncomfortable.

listening that forces us to step outside our own echo chambers, suspend our judgments, to open our hearts and minds to experiences and perspectives that may challenge everything we thought we knew.

this kind of listening that, time and again, has brought me to the brink of tears, of laughter, of anger, of epiphany.

this kind of listening has cracked open my own biases, exposed my blind spots and forced me to confront the limitations of my worldview.

you don’t know what you don’t know- until you start listening.

as you go about life, i dare you to listen- not to win, not to convert, not to conquer.

but to connect, to understand, to meet people where they are- not where you want them to be.

remember when you listen, you learn the things you don’t know.

ttyl,

dulra <3