So I’ve been wondering: is listening truly the radical act I think it is?
I ask this because I hesitate to make absolute statements (even though some of you might challenge that if you follow me on Facebook). But here’s the thing- I post things that I ponder about or worry on or that confront my concerns, anxieties or things I dearly love or that move me or make me laugh. I post things that are beautiful. Relative to the amount I post, I write or comment very little.
Mostly I listen to reactions. When I feel moved to speak on a contentious topic I try to remain both authentic and vulnerable. And willing to change. Because, as my dear friend reminds me, true listening requires a willingness to change.
I am inviting people to listen with the ability to change, to empathize, to be challenged as a radical act of peacemaking and bridge building.
I get it how difficult it is to be vulnerable, real, authentic about one’s deepest self in the face of bigotry, hatred, and mostly fear.
I extend this invitation only to those who have the support and strength and willingness or ‘call’ to be that open. As a woman, lesbian, Christian, feminist and white, I am in no way suggesting this is the correct or only path for anyone. It is not the only way. It is one way and it is an important way but we also need people who resist. We need people to call out bigotry and hatred and injustice. We need people to stand for justice.
It is not an either/or proposition. The call to radical listening is a part of the larger picture. It is an invitation to mutuality and community. It is another kind of justice seeking. It is making a path through the wilderness.
The water of life has run to my shore. With the tide will go part of me yet the same tide will bring some of me back. How can I regret the loss and not celebrate the gain.
It falls to us to remark upon our lives ever mindful of the remarks of others on their lives. If we in carelessness refuse to hear we will carry the burden of unrequited offerings. The water will come no more.
(random reactions)
Listening is radical. Listening is not talking or shouting back. It’s not trying to be louder than the other person. Listening is being in the same space with someone else who might have different opinions, VERY different opinions. Listening does not only engage the ears, but the heart and mind. It’s an important step if you want to see what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes.