Hearing to listen !

I watched  recently these two birds, about thirty meters away from each other. Both birds are similar in size although I used magnification to the bird on right to highlight a point!

The bird on the left is a male bird engaged seriously in its bird song, which is what brought the female bird closer.

A bird call is a voice of identity and a message for friendship. It is after hearing this, the other bird arrived to listen to the tuneful voice and contemplate on a response. 

We hear to know, feel and process. It is this process which transforms the words to their meaning, context, purpose, or appeal. 

Listening is a way of taking in and pondering over what we hear.

In any conversation we hear and respond. 

The in between process of feeling what we hear before we respond is the critical step which would help in making wise responses. The impulsive responses are cerebral responses. The words which surface within us while waiting to respond are heart responses.  

Often conversations are without in between pauses. There is a hurry to speak even if it interrupts another person who is speaking. 

I still struggle with a habit of speaking for too long although I know from experience that five or six sentences at one stretch are better than a prolonged monologue. 

There is a deepening of our attentiveness and engagement when we hear to listen. We tend to hear to argue, contradict, dissent rather than to discern, which is another activity at the soul level. 

Listening creates the opportunity to filter, ponder, feel and sense which when done faithfully offers the inner space for discerning the response. 

Our mind is a high way traffic centre. To listen what we hear and discern the response, we need to grow in practicing inner quietness so that we hear the message and not the words alone. 

These were some thoughts, as I tarried with these tow birds for about 15 minutes. 

The bird with its bird call and the other bird with its listening orientation, reminded me soem good practices in hearing, listening and discerning!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)