In this intense age of computers, smart phones,
social media and multi-tasking, this secret may
surprise you. The secret is this: One person, a
person such as you, who is a devoted and loving
listener, can uplift the world.
I’ll explain:
Within each of us are sorrow and fear, uncertainty
and doubt, and many people also suffer from
depression. As a result, we all have a deep desire to
connect with loving people who understand our
feelings and in whom we can trust, and people with a
wealth of compassion and wisdom.
We need them to listen carefully as we express
ourselves.
Then with empathy, not criticism, acknowledge what we
have said and be gentle and supportive. This
compassionate listening has been used throughout the
ages, as compassionate and loving listeners have
played a vital role in advancing mankind to higher
levels of achievement.
Gandhi
In contemporary times, some of those compassionate
listeners have included Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat
Hanh, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa and many
others. Most of those many others have never been
famous but each of whom has made a vital difference.
Abraham Lincoln, renowned for his listening and
storytelling capabilities is an excellent example of
the difference one person can make, for in his
lifetime he experienced terrible heartache and he
applied that heartache to help others.
Lincoln
But Lincoln never could have achieved the
presidency, nor have become the outstanding leader he
was, had he not been a compassionate and loving
listener, and therefore able to understand and
acknowledge the needs of others.
Yet Dear Reader, you may be thinking you can’t
measure up to Abraham Lincoln or to the other people
referenced in this story. If so, please note none of
them were born “great.” They became recognized by
others as “great” through their listening skills and
their thoughts and actions.
You too have this capacity to compassionately listen
and to lovingly help others, and I know you have had
heartache. If you listen, and lovingly help and if
you reach into the pit of who you are, you can make a
wonderful difference in this world and bring greater
meaning into your own life.
