“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force . . . When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.” – Karl Menninger
How do you believe you listen to another person? I chose the word listen, instead of the word “hear,” for a specific purpose. In the physical sense, we hear with our ears and taken in the context through the writings of Rev. Linda McNamar in Science of Mind, May 2010 ” . . . listening requires and open mind and heart.” Getting out of our own way, pushing our ego aside and being consciously present with the other person, is getting to be quite an “art.” It’s quite simple . . . how can you relate to another human being when you are distracted/bombarded by texting, twittering, youtube, facebook, cell phones, radio/TV, and the non-stop dialogue in the mind? How many people consider you a person to be trusted with their most confidential and inner most thoughts or concerns? This is not a trick question, because your response reflects exactly where you are, what you’re about and most importantly . . . who you are.
Within the cacophony and resonance of your essence resides “truth,” as so appropriately stated by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. . . “Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.” This is one arena where you can’t have another individual “do it for you.” Each of us must seek our own direction and focus, taking responsibility for the imprints we make in our own lives, and those entrusted in our care. Friedrich Nietzsche had an interesting perspective on our purpose in life . . . “To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.”
There are no shortcuts to our getting in touch with essence, purpose or spirit. A magician will not appear and weave a spell or develop a potion for any of us to “begin from within.” Perhaps for the first time, those electronic devices must be silenced in order for us to listen to another voice . . . one we may have never heard and begin this journey of enlilghtenment with a “first step.” We have the opportunity to be our own “best friend,” and listen to what our heart is trying to express. Albert Einstein stated these words so aptly, “Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds.” The creative energy within you is ready to listen . . . it is our conscious choice of will in the now, that gives it expansion, growth and opportunity through recognizing the significance of purpose with unlimited resources. JLR