I read this on my desk calendar this week. It’s a quote by Ram Dass. The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
Seems obvious, right? And it feels like wisdom, right? You hear it and immediately: aaahhhh yes, that’s true. The question I have, for myself and for you is…Do we use the wisdom or is it just a passing thought? Do we actually practice being quiet and practice listening so we can actually hear beyond and beneath the surface noise and chatter? Or is this just a nice soundbite?
There is another quote that comes to mind. You can’t learn anything new while you’re talking. I think this is mostly true.
So many of us are addicted to sharing our own opinion and telling our own story. We want to talk and keep talking because we want others to know our experience and understand our pain and know the details of our life. We want to explain our reasoning and defend our personal truth. Too often this is our strategy for feeling important.
Here’s another quote. Not everything requires a response. I agree. I don’t always practice this, but I definitely agree.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be heard. It is important and healthy to be able to speak your mind. At the same time it is equally important to become quiet. It is in the quiet and out of the stillness, where another possibility emerges, a new point of view, a different perspective. It is the place of spiritual growth.
Do you want to hear more? It’s pretty simple then. Be quiet more.
Still practicing
Paula
