“Listening to people keeps them entertained.” –Mason Cooley
I’m a fairly good listener. That is if you believe listening is about taking in what someone is telling you and filing it away in your memory banks. I’m an awful listener if you believe listening is about being able to decode accurately what is being said.
I’m not the brightest star in the universe when it comes to assessing when people are being candid with their words or when they are misleading with their words. I know why this is: most deceitful people truly believe their own bullshit. It is their sincerity in the moment that trips me up.
Lately when I ‘sit’ (new to my blog? Translation: zazen) my thoughts have been migrating towards how to become a more open listener, how to accurately process what I am listening to. I had a moment today. Eureka!
Detach. Detach from how I expect the message to be decoded. I, as the receiver, am responsible for how the message gets into my data banks. I have mostly started with the premise people don’t want to be caught in blatant lies; therefore, I consider detailed information as primarily valid. This is my attachment. Believing I can ascertain fiction from truth. I cannot. With this realization, the feeling of naked vulnerability set in.
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