Chairs and Crutches - to Listen so It Matters

If you want somebody to talk, all you have to do is listen. Listen in a way that matters. For just a moment. 

If others are just cardboards, for your words to fall on, for your anxities to be absorbed in, you may just try another profession.

You may not be told what you want to hear. There may not be a view of life presented that you like. It's ok.

To listen is an artform (not in a terapeutic kind of way. Being the proffessional, pretending to have answers, enjoying the role as the smart one. Freud became obsolete a long time ago. To be a smartass helps no one. Send out the memo, just in case.)

If you want to listen in a way that matters, you have to to begin with falling out of love with your own voice. If only for  moment. 

You also have to dare not have the answers. Try out what it is like to be defensless. It's scary, I know. But don't worry. You're opinions will most likely come back. They usually do. If they don't - good riddance.

Words can be crutches. To walk without them stregthens the muscles. Precreated answers are convinient chairs to sit on. Only sitting is not good for your back you know.

If you need rolemodels in this difficult art listen to the mothers. Most of them know how, because they had to. Because, they have to. To make people grow there has to be some room for exploration, as we all know.  Thanks to the brave mothers, there are still some architects for evolution left.

I think it's so difficult to listen fully I only do it on rare occations these days. I have to spare some energy for other tasks. 

To listen for real, if that's what you chose to do, you have to walk without crutches. But first, you have to stand up.