Listening is an Art

Do I listen more than I speak?
Do I advise more than I ask for advise?
Do I communicate that I understand more than assume that I understand?

"...spoken once and twice have I herd it"
Listening twice because of the two eares ;) The first time spoken is to hear, the second time herd is to understand.

There are millions of pounds spent every hour just to be herd and understood and the number is increasing every month. The psychologist/therapist etc spends 8yrs learning to understand and then spends the rest of their years listening.

It could be said that everyone wants to be understood. (I wonder if it's more true for woman). If person Y feels understood by person X, then Y will hold X in high regard, perhaps X will be the first person they look to sharing the good, the bad and the ugly etc.
It could also be said that said that everyone wants to be loved and therefore to be loved is to be understood. If one feels or perceives to be understood, then they feel or are perceived to be loved. The revers is true. When one feels misunderstood, they feel rejected and therefor dont feel unloved.

The environment of love or understanding breeds freedom and life but the opposite breeds death. Imaging life is like travelling to a foreign and distant land. You may feel that there are strangers all around. As a result, you may keep silent as no one understands the language you speak. And eventually you stop looking to make friends and end up hiding in the things that understand you e.g. music, old pictures, books, places (like the mountain top or by th stream in the valley).And one day, you hear a voice that understands you. You would get excited, jump up and it would feel like a fire just just been ignited...alive once again

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