In a world full of noise and information, we have a lot to sort out. Opinions are thrown in an endless bombardment of words. Companies are trying to sell you something at every scroll. We have a lot to hear these days, but are we actually listening?
The dictionary defines hearing as “the act of perceiving sound,” and listening is defined by “something you consciously choose to do.”
I have found in numerous conversations, especially ones that contain controversial topics, that people tend to tune out what the other person is saying, especially if they have a differing opinion. No one is listening, but they have no issue shouting their personal truth over the other. Everyone else is wrong, and you yourself is in the right. And regardless of who you are, you are guilty of this–including and especially me.
We as a people have lost the ability to humble ourselves and admit that we might be in the wrong. We have lost the ability to truly listen to someone that has a differing opinion than us and not feel the need to point out their errors.
We have to learn to consciously choose to listen and not have to be right all the time. We have to learn to put our humanity first and love people whose truths are different than our own. We have to learn how to humble ourselves and cross the aisle because maybe, just maybe, someone who looks differently and talks differently than us may hold the solution to our problem.
True listening, dear friends, may be the answer to all of our predicaments. And as we listen, may it mold us into more kinder, more gracious, more compassionate, and more loving humans.
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This week I peeked into the world of photography. I’m marveled by those who can stand behind the lens and capture the world’s beauty–it absolutely fascinates me. But as someone who has stood in the Colosseum and gazed upon the Arc de Triomphe, photography has always seemed to be the last thing on my mind. I’m the tourist who gazes upon ancient piles of stone and speculates how these great wonders came to be. I get so lost in my thoughts and in the world of my imagination to remember to take out my phone and snap a picture proving I stood in the magnificent shadows of the greatest marvels mankind has ever seen.
The thing that I learned about photos was how they use the concepts of light and shadow to create the actual image. For photographers, I’m sure the concept isn’t as mind-blowing as it was to me. But to take the energy of light and darkness and make a likeness to the physical blew me away. At the essence of it all, light is the power force of all things. It is the energy that makes the world turn. So to freeze the light and shadow of things to make a still image is amazing.
Humans have the capacity to manipulate the most powerful source in the universe. They can eternally make light stand still to capture the moments of humanity’s triumph and defeat, their joy and their sadness. If we have the power to use light to make a fixed reflection, what more do we have the power to do? The possibilities are endless, and so is the responsibility.
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“I can do all the things, hard and easy, but still all the things” was once my personal mantra. It didn’t matter if that specific thing brought me hardship later. As long as I was taking the stuff in the trenches, and still surviving through, meant perseverance, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. A wise mentor in my life told me that just because I can do something, it doesn’t mean that I have to do something. I was right, I can do all the hard things, but it doesn’t mean that I had to. I don’t have to put myself into situations that I really don’t need to be in, even if I am strong enough to take it.
To take this personal lesson to the professional world, just because I can do every task assigned to me right then and right there, it doesn’t mean I have to. There’s a huge difference between being a team player and being a dust rag. I am a person with value and a person with gifts and talents to bring to the table, and I get to celebrate that, even from the bottom of the professional totem pole. I should be able to grow my existing talents and learn new skills, and that means that I must be given room to grow. A place to share what I have to offer to the world. A safe environment to screw up and try again. I am more than a dust rag cleaning other people’s messes. I am a person too, and just because I can do all the hard things, doesn’t mean that I have to.
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