On Listening
Listening is an act of love,
An act of caring,
A committment of ourselves to another.
We should listen with every sense -
That is, sensitively -
If we are responsibly and reverently to participate
In the mystery of another human being.
The other person calls to us
In all kinds of ways.
He wants to be heard,
Because to be heard is to be known,
And to be known is to live.
Listening should always be two-sided;
The speaker respects the listener
By trying to speak his meanings
Clearly and honestly,
And the listener respects the speaker
By giving his whole attention
To what the speaker is trying to say.
In our very listening we have the power
To increase or diminish
The lives and meanings
Of the people associated with us.
Rouel L. Howe