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Writer's pictureVinayak Jawalkar

The lost art of listening: Reclaiming empathy and connection in a digital world

Updated: Dec 9, 2023


The lost art of listening: Reclaiming empathy and connection in a digital world

Our minds have become robotic by working with computers.


Because of digital life, we seem to lose human emotions. In our busy lives, we do not have time for others. We do not meet people often.


If we do, we do not give our time to them. We do not listen when they talk.


Listening is not remembering a few key points from a conversation.


Has anyone told you that you do not listen?


You are not alone!


The truth is most of us do not give our time to someone and listen. It is an undeniable truth.


Do you interrupt when your parents speak?

Do you hear out your colleagues completely?

Do you listen to your friends when they reach you with a problem?


If you believe you are a good listener, think again.


Being silent when someone speaks to you does not mean you listen to them. You may still have an inner conversation, which you do not know.


Hence, you may not be listening to someone if you do not say a word.


Why should you listen?


Because someone trusts you and talks to you, you should give your time.


If you do not have time for them, tell them. It is better instead of hearing them while you are mentally rushing elsewhere.


When you listen to someone, you allow yourself to see their world from their view.


You would get a sense of their emotions.


You will try to understand why they are unhappy about certain things. You can do this by paying attention to their words. Listening helps you to understand and empathise with others.


A hurried mind cannot listen to others:


If your mind is in a hurry, you cannot give your ears to others. Slow down to see different perspectives.


A calm mind allows you to embrace the opinions of people around you.


Access the world of others by giving your time and patience.


You often do not remember that you should listen.


Listening to someone is necessary as empathy is fading away from the human brain.

Surrender yourself if you want to listen:


If you want to know a person's story, you should surrender to them.


It does not matter who the person is. If someone talks to you, they deserve your time. It can be a child or aged people.


When someone talks to you, stop everything your mind thinks at that moment.


Listen without a purpose:


Do not try to conclude stories as people talk to you.


Allow them to talk.


Do not judge them. Do not form your views about what they say.


They will say whatever they want to say.


Hold your questions till the end. Respect the person by paying attention to them.


Allow others to express:


When you talk, you want others to listen to you.


You will feel relaxed only when you pour your emotions into someone. Likewise, when someone talks to you, allow them to express themselves.


They want a non-judgmental listener, and hence they chose you out of trust.


Allow them to be who they are as they talk. Give others the time they deserve.

What do your colleagues say?


You spend a lot of time at work, and it becomes another world with new friends.


The workplace is a roller coaster ride, you will hear many stories


As every day at work need not be a happy day, people can get stressed. When they feel stressed, they share it with their closest colleagues.


Everyone has a perspective and forms their own story. If people share something with you, listen to them.


Older people deserve listening:


Your time is the best gift you can give to older people.


By listening to them, you are giving them what they expect. When they talk, listen to them.


You can never understand their world.


But, they have seen life. They need someone who can listen to them.


Older people need companions with whom they can talk.


Children demand your time:


If you do not listen to the children, you are in trouble now or later.


You have no choice but to listen to them. Children can lose trust in you if they feel you are listening to them. Listening does not mean accepting all their demands.


Listen to them and see what they want to say.


Conversation with the children can be the best moments of life. It can be life-changing.


Children will test you and shape you into a new person.


You will become unconformable, and that is how you grow older.

Listening - a conscious effort:


Time is the best give you can give to someone.


Today, real networking is getting lost.


Whenever you get a chance to listen to someone, make the best use of it.


Listening takes your effort.


But, it is worth it. You never what it means to others. You may be helping someone by listening to them.


Your little time could make a big difference in others' life.

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