The Power of Listening

Image Credit: Aneta Pawlik

Over the weekend, I decided to reorganize my bookshelves, and oh Lord, what a bigger task it was than I thought. I purchased a bookcase which was smaller, that my husband and I put together since I had books that needed to be properly housed other than on the floor. Then I came across the book “The Summer of Swans” by Betsy Byars, and decided to reread it.

The book surrounds a little boy who is non-verbal, and at the time this book was copywritten, he is deemed mentally retarded. In today’s terminology, he would probably be diagnosed as autistic. Charlie wanders off in the middle of the night, and of course, he gets lost, and no one knows where he is. His sister Sara usually looks after him but everyone is terrified of what could happen because of Charlie’s condition. When Sara and her friend Joe comb a dense part of the woods, they continue to shout Charlie’s name and would hear nothing. But just when Sara, who has become exhausted from the search, shouts one last time to her brother’s name, she heard his familiar loud wailing that came through the trees. They continued searching until she located him. (Image Credit: Thanos Pal)

Oh, the power of listening. Do we talk “at” folks, speak with people, or simply talk just to be talking? We are a bunch of talkers, whether verbally or through our fingers on a keyboard. Yet somehow, do we truly listen? This story reminded me of the power of listening, There is no doubt that people want to be heard but when everyone is talking at the same time, and no one is listening, it’s no wonder nothing is getting accomplished, creating monsters in the process of chaos and division. (Image Credit: Larry George II)