Saturday, September 09, 2006
'The older I grow the more I listen to people who don't talk much'
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Regarding Henry
CAN you hear me now?
If eyes were created for seeing, then our ears were made for listening. Socrates once said: "Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue-to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak."
Blaise Pascal contends: "We only consult the ear because the heart is wanting."
Of course, everyone knows that we use our ears to detect sound waves. However, the term "ear" may also refer to the entire system responsible for collection and early processing of sound or merely the externally visible part. Audition, by the way, is the scientific name for the sense of hearing. And the actual organ of hearing is the organ of Corti.
In recent years, a lot of people are no longer using their ears. We are now in the modern age and people are not interested with the sound of silence.
Exposure to elevated sound levels has done considerable principal damage to the human ears.
Studies have shown that approximately ten percent of the population in so-called industrialized societies has significant hearing loss or tinnitus, and millions more are steadily progressing to that outcome.
Once it was thought that only extremely high sound levels create hearing loss; however, more careful investigations showed that cumulative exposure to relatively moderate levels can lead to the irreversible loss of hearing or tinnitus.
Another myth of noise effects is the overstated role of presbycusis, or loss of hearing associated with aging. It has been demonstrated that the most important factor of hearing degradation is not aging alone, but rather the cumulative long-term exposure to environmental and occupational noise that create the harm.
In history and literature, there are people who are famous for their big ears.
Consider the following: Evander Holyfied (his ears were bitten by Mike Tyson during a boxing fight in 1997), Vincent van Gogh (he tried to cut one of his ears off, remember?), Tom Boonen (Belgian cyclist known for his pointed ears), American billionaire Ross Perot, and Japanese actress Aiko Sato.
Some cartoon characters noted for their big ears include Bugs Bunny, Dumbo, Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, and the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood (the size of his ears are mentioned in the fairy tale). As Spock in "Star Trek," Leonard Nimoy has long ears.
Listen to this! "So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it." Those words of wisdom come from Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Here's another timely thought from Robert C. Murphy: "To be listened to is, generally speaking, a nearly unique experience for most people. It is enormously stimulating. It is small wonder that people who have been demanding all their lives to be heard so often fall speechless when confronted with one who gravely agrees to lend an ear. Man clamors for the freedom to express himself and for knowing that he counts. But once offered these conditions, he becomes frightened."
Heartbreaking as it may seem but people these days don't listen. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, contends that next to physical survival, a human's greatest need is psychological survival: to be understood, affirmed, validated and appreciated.
In other words, humans need to be heard. Roger G. Imhoff said it well when he wrote: "Let others confide in you. It may not help you, but it surely will help them." In Hamlet, William Shakespeare advised: "Give every man your ear, but few thy voice. Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment."
Okay, we live in a busy world. But can you lend your ears to others? But how? Take come cues from the pros. Abigail van Buren stated: "The less you talk, the more you're listened to."
Germain G. Glien pointed out: "The older I grow the more I listen to people who don't talk much."
American president Abraham Lincoln averred: "When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say."
American novelist Ernest Hemingway said: "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen."
Yes, please listen! If only you will, you might be able to solve some of your problems. Thomas Hughes said: "Remember there's always a voice saying the right thing to you somewhere if you'll only listen for it."
"Are you really listening... or are you just waiting for your turn to talk?" Robert Montgomery.
Oscar Wilde said it all: "And he goes through life, his mouth open, and his mind closed."
For comments, write me at tasyo2002@yahoo.com
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