Do you hear what I hear? ...that's what I thought.

Disclaimer: Before shit gets lit on fire, I should probably start by saying this entry is a toss into the void. Just something the wheels have been turning about recently and not meant to be pointed in any particular direction. Just.... out there.



The concept of 'listening' gets little attention these days (or... well... ever). It really doesn't matter how loud you're speaking, nor does it concern the importance of what you're saying - some people truly are incapable of going beyond simply hearing enough to process and understand and respond like good listeners do. It seems like an impairment of sorts... wouldn't you agree? A wall, maybe. A wall composed of (what seems like) preoccupation of the mind... tiny little tasks/thoughts that seem far too important (at the time) to ignore so that you can focus on someone/something else. Throughout the course of my studying this issue, I've found the primary source of this problem to be the internet and texting... but really, I think it could be caused by anything.

I'm a big fan of talking and sharing and being open (for the most part). I figure talking and words are the most prominent form of communication we have, so using it frequently seems like the most obvious idea. It can't ever be that simple though... we know that. Here's the broken down version: Girl/Boy finds courage to talk about something important to them. Girl/Boy spends time attempting to find the right recipient for this conversation. Girl/Boy finds who they think is the appropriate recipient and shares their story. Girl/Boy takes a breath upon completion of their story only to realize that not only does the receiving end not give a damn about anything Girl/Boy just said... but they didn't even get as far as to process any of the said valued conversation because they were too busy focusing on themselves.

...a study in which the conclusion is frequently found to be like the one I just gave.

I'm totally guilty of it. We are a selfish people and have certainly all had our moments. It's why I can't much rely on the phone for conversation and talk to even the closest of friends on my cell but maybe once a week. Oh, the glory of making small talk via text. There really isn't a need for calling when we end up just ignoring each other and pretend to listen while simultaneously computing/doing homework/texting/gaming/watching TV/doing anything more self-fulfilling.

I consciously try very hard not to be that person, given that I sort of/really despise that person; but alas, I still fall short. They say that if you spend less time talking, you'll be a better listener. I may give that a go.

And why is it that the people who actually do listen (the majority of the time) are the ones we really don't desire to talk to?

Riddles and more riddles.