What?

Do I listen enough? This is a routine question of my humanist practice. 

Listening is far more profitable than speaking in my experience. While learning to articulately express my feelings and ideas is growth-promoting, listening is absolutely necessary for me to form intelligent and compassionate opinions and ideas. Listening requires great patience with aging. 

One set of eyes and one set of ears provide one form of human experience unless they are intentionally used to learn about other human experiences. However, as an older person, patience is required when I see and hear ignorance, rudeness or insincere naivete. So much of our public discourse today is laced with these flaws. 

Practice is the business of balance. Learning to listen and contribute in measured doses in all situations is a talent developed with practice. Simply asking someone to speak more about what they are trying to say to me is extremely helpful. Listening and digesting all the words sometimes cannot be done on the fly. Taking the time to reflect on what I hear before reacting to it is often necessary for me to formulate an intelligent and compassionate response. 

We live in a time of immediate communication. Drivers die in cars while texting. So much of this communication is impulsive or compulsive. It is lacking reflection and full understanding. The implications of this are obvious.