Use Your Ears To Help Humanity

Here's a simple truth that you can take to the bank.  Okay, maybe it won't have much value in the bank, but it will in humanity.  If you really want to help other people, make sure you listen twice as much as you talk to them.

We all have two ears and one mouth, but for some reason, we act as if we have two mouths and one ear.  If that sounds funny, it isn't meant to sound funny.  It is true if you watch the reactions of people to one another.

We are so eager to tell another person what they should do.  We are so eager to be an authority on something because of what we've been told.  We are so eager to make sure the world or social media knows how we think, lest anyone go astray.

Yet, if you really want to know the most helpful thing you can do for another, it isn't telling them what they should do!  It is being there for them without an agenda of any type.  It is being there and listening to them with both ears and an open heart.  It is shutting your mouth off long enough so you can hear them.

Just Sayin

Lately I see and hear the phrase "just sayin" being thrown around as a modern day jingle.  I'm amazed at how much it is said and the context in which it is stated.  To me, it is a statement made with great condescension, judgement, and lack of respect.

In fact, the urban dictionary attempts to define it as someone making a statement without having all the facts.  It is like, someone does not know what they are talking about, yet they make the statement anyway.  That's pretty amazing when you think about it, but in many ways that is how our public discourse occurs these days.

Gone are the days when people actually sat down and talked with one another, listening to what the other person had to say.  People are too quick to state what they think, then they ask someone for their views.  When you do that, you're really saying, "my beliefs are more important than your beliefs, but if you must, I'll listen to you talk about them.".

If you really listen to how the phrase "just sayin" is being used, you'll see the attitude that surrounds it.  For the most part, it is condescending and disrespectful.  It is a judgmental statement at the root.  Of course, I do realize that everyone has an opinion that they feel the world must hear.  The news agencies promote this agenda by showing random people giving their opinion.  They further promote this agenda by allowing people comment on news articles.

If You're Talking, You're Not Listening

Today, I received a phone call from a place I do business with and the person on the other end felt it necessary to talk nonstop. Of course, every time I would try and say something, they would start in a mile a minute never once listening to a thing I said. In this case, it had to do with billing and I was trying to make sure they did not get double billed.

This isn't the first time I've run into this nor the first person that ever has done this. It seems to be an ongoing thread in our society. We don't listen to the other person, we just talk and talk and tell them everything that we feel they need to hear, rather than listening to them.

No matter what you do or how much you try to talk, these people just don't listen! They keep going on and on and getting louder and louder until they have drowned you out. What you have to say may be very vital to the conversation but unless you want to get in a shouting match, it doesn't matter. They are not going to hear you.

Growing up, my father and a brother was this way. They still are this way because they think they have to be the one yapping their gums louder than anyone else, or life doesn't go on! Neither of them would listen while I was growing up and they still don't! You could have told them the house was on fire, and I doubt they would have heard you.

It all boils down to how much more importantly we see ourselves than everyone else. If you're talking nonstop and louder than you need to, than you're not listening. If you're not listening, you're not valuing the other person much at all. You are treating them as if what they have to say or what concerns them does not matter.

A human body has two ears and one mouth. It would stand to reason that we use the ears twice as much as the mouth. Many humans do this but there are far too many that don't. If you don't believe me, just spend 15 minutes observing people around you or on the news. It will be quite obvious.

We can offer so much to so many by listening or at least finding a balance in a conversation. By closing our mouth and opening our ears, we lift the other person up and show them they are important to us. Let us try to use our ears and our mouth appropriately instead of using one more than the other! I'll bet if we all did that, our world would be a different place!




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 6/10/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------