Photo courtesy of Stux on Pixabay.com

The woman sitting behind us on the train would not shut up. On and on in a too-loud voice she talked to her travel companion about anything she could think of as long as it was about herself, her job, her co-workers, her house, her kids…well, you get the idea.

When her companion offered a comment to attempt to join the conversation, the woman quickly turned it back into something that she herself had seen, done, or experienced.

It reminded me of the old joke: “Enough about me. What do you think about me?”

Had we not been on a car with reserved assigned seating, we would have switched seats.

In a world filled with real problems and heart-breaking events, this feels too petty to even write about. But I have a problem with other people’s noise.

I am already dreading the day in the future when we need to downsize to a smaller house in the (gasp!) city with its accompanying noises.

Living in the country changes you. I’m not off the grid, mind you. Our house is just five minutes from the town limits. But standing outside looking at the night sky and hearing nothing but an owl primes you to enjoy quiet.

Yes, of course, I enjoy being with other people, conversing, laughing, sharing, learning. I don’t mean that I want to be a hermit. It’s just that there are times to keep quiet. Even the Bible in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is, “a time to keep silence and a time to speak.”

Julian Treasure is a British man who values sound. He teaches us to hear better, not by eliminating ear wax, but by teaching us how to listen.

Part of his vision from his website states: We teach our children how to read and write, but not how to speak and listen. Listening is untaught and usually unpractised. Our amazing human voice is marginalised as we communicate more and more through text, not spoken word. My vision is to transform the world by inspiring people to listen consciously and speak powerfully. 

Links to two of his short TED talks are provided below. Treasure gives us much to consider. This is a good time of year to think about WHAT we listen to and HOW we listen. I’m convinced that much of the discord in today’s world is because we each want to be heard above all else, and so we don’t or can’t listen to others’ opinions, views, ideas.

I have moved the gift of ears more attuned to listening to the top of my Christmas list. And isn’t it great…it’s a gift I can give myself that benefits others!

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https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better#t-450954

https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_shh_sound_health_in_8_steps