Even before we are born, we are listening to those around us. We are able to respond to our parent's voices and respond to music in the womb. We are able to respond to cues and sounds at a very young age. Unfortunately, it appears that many of us lose the ability to listen as we grow. Amidst current political controversy, many people are eager to turn to social media and voice their opinions, often in the most offensive, and anger-inducing ways. I am definitely not one to join the politically vocal on facebook, but I am always intrigued by the posts and I often find myself scrolling through the post and its comments; watching people go at each others throats with no reason other than to be right and no motivation other than their pride.
I don't know about you, but I sometimes find myself scoffing at the people who post these posts. Most of them appear to want to have an intellectual discussion, but then they don't actually stop to listen, or read, what other individuals are saying. I mean think about it: when someone asks you a question, or comments on your feed or timeline, do you actually stop and think about it before quickly typing a superficial response?
I think one of the major issues in our technology-filled world is that we don't recognize the consequences of what we recklessly post out.
I recently read a post complaining about one of the most recent, controversial political arguments. It was around four paragraphs full of opinions and anger. A friend of the individual who posted replied with a different opinion with articles and statistics as support. The original "poster" replied very angrily, completely disregarding the new information, and went after the friend themself. This lashing out probably damaged their relationship, all because the original poster didn't listen. They didn't stop to think about this person's point of view. I would bet they didn't even open the links to the articles or read the infographics.
I know my problem is that it is sometimes difficult for me to put myself in someone else's shoes and completely try and understand their point of view before I make a response. I know that I've hurt people I care about just because I was in a hurry and rushing to respond. I think another one of my words for this year should be patience and empathy, perhaps.
If you get anything from this post, it is to try and listen this year. Listen to those around you. Listen to the people on your social media. Understand what they are saying and why before you lash out at them. I know it's going on my list of New Year's Resolutions.