Listening. . .

[Guest guest]

I know three modes of listening.

 

Mode one, which also is most common,

most frequent mode, is the mode of

resistance and competition. In this

mode, I hear everything with

skepticism, resistance, suspicion,

doubt and mistrust.

 

This happens when trust

that I have with somebody has been

broken. In listening to public speech

of politicians like George Bush, Dick

Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Gonzales; media

men like Bill O Reilly, Michael Savage

and also many gurus in the areas

varying from psychology and management

to spirituality and enlightenment.

 

 

I realize that my trust for most of

them is broken because of many

instances of lies and deceit and in some

cases simply because two sides talk of

two totally different stories and only

one of them can be true.

 

 

In personal life too this happens

though same process when trust that I

had in somebody has been violated

enough number of times. My trust is

other human has been based on him/her

being honest, truthful, fair as well as

genuinely kind and compassionate - all

of which are based on the person's

ability to rise above petty selfishness

and in being able to consistently

choose principles over limited self

interest. When that basis gets violated

enough number of times, I lose trust in

that person.

 

 

 

However, I have realized that

listening in this mode is one kind of

pain and it makes me internally weak.

 

 

In this mode, as if I internally build

psychic walls myself and try to protect

myself from what might come. Further,

many times, when I listen in this mode,

as if I am internally trying to build

own verbal arsenal (arguments) by

which, I can 'defeat' what I hear. It

is as state of low mental war and

unease and sometimes of inner ridicule,

mockery and derision. All of which are

just some form of. . . Pain because all

of these are state Away from Love,

Compassion and Acceptance!

 

 

 

Do you know of a better way of

listening???