To hear a little.

I have spent many hours listening to the music of this man. One of the very first records I ever purchased was his third symphony. My friends were listening to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones I was listening to Beethoven and Holst.

Each to their own.  I went off to Iona and lived there for a year and during this time I heard very little if any music at all other than the music we made ourselves.

It was not until my return that I really gave much interest to the music of the charts. I had suffered from that terrible affliction, selective hearing. 

Selective hearing comes in many forms and right now I am beginning to despair when I see and hear politicians who have closed not only their ears but their minds to the voices of others. Hearing only that which you wish to hear can be comforting but mind restricting.

I am sure we all know people who suffer from selective hearing and those who do not listen at all. But the important question is not others but ourselves.

How good a listener are we? 

1) Since you think about four times faster than a person usually talks, do you use this time to think about other things while you're keeping track of the conversation? 

2) Do you listen primarily for facts rather than ideas when someone is speaking?

 
3) Do you avoid listening to things you feel will be too difficult to understand? 

4) Can you tell from a person's appearance and delivery that there won't be anything worthwhile said? 

5) When someone is talking to you do you appear to be paying attention when you're not? 

6) Do certain words and phrases prejudice you so you cannot listen objectively? 

7) When listening are you distracted by outside sights and sounds?   

Seven simple little questions worthy of asking from time to time. it seems to me there are three important things when it comes to listening to others. If you are to proudly say you are a good listener think of these rules to decide if you are. 

1. Listen to the other person's story. 

2. Listen to the other person's full story. 

3. Listen to the other person's full story first. 

Happy listening and have a good day.