Saturday, May 19, 2007

Listen and you shall hear

When you’ve been a listener for the longest time, then finally find someone you can talk to, do you forget the art of listening?

The art of reading between the lines of a summarized sentence from one who is practiced in brevity. The art of recognizing pregnant sentences cloaked in simplicity and supposed straightforwardness. The art of holding your peace and not goading on an ineloquent speaker. The art of knowing not to interrupt a silence because it is necessary in the formation of the next sentence, even if that comes after and extended period. The art of reading nuances like hesitant pauses and changes in inflection.

Listening is something that needs to be practiced if it doesn’t come naturally, but my question is this: Do you forget how to do it once you’ve found your voice?

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