7-Day Kindness Experiment: Day 3
The first duty of love is to listen. -Paul Tillich
The Idea: Each day we amass such a wealth of experience. Joy, sorrow, hope, wonder, fear, love, disappointment, inspiration ... there is so much that a single life contains, and sometimes the greatest gift we have to give -- is that of simply listening to each other. So today's challenge is to make time to listen to someone in your life. Focus on listening deeply, without judgment and with total presence, to whatever they have to share, whether it's about their current struggles, highest aspirations or whatever else may be bubbling to the surface in the moment. Because sometimes the humble act of listening can do more to serve than even the most well-intentioned advice. If you want to step-it-up, make a commitment to reach out to someone who you think could use a listening ear each week.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on the form linked here. As we move forward, all stories are being updated on our blog (in the comments). You can share yours and read others thoughts and leave a reply to motivate them too.
Akash shares,
ReplyDelete'Today I sat next to an elderly person at the park. As I sat the old man asked me where I belonged to Bihar and it turned out that we both were from same state so this made a good base for the conversation ahead. While he was speaking all I tried was to listen and I realized how challenging it was not to judge the speaker. The false belief that I am already a good listener also shattered and in the little experiment of listening I learnt that there comes a deep sense of appreciation and love for the speaker automatically.'
Shashank shared:
ReplyDelete"Listening I increasingly realise is one of the most difficult things to do. It involves high level of awareness, mindfulness, empathy and ability to be non-judgemental. Almost like love. Yesterday, I tried to deeply listen at a few occasions. Each time it was difficult to practice. We went for a small picnic with children. I was moved to be with them, talk to them and listen to them. And with three children I hung around for most of the time. Fayza, Ria and Nikita. I just couldn't but so loved. All three of them were different personalities. And different ways of engaging. Fayza was on here own, she knew what she wanted, didn't much bother about what others would think. With her listening meant understanding her questions yet not answering completely. It was difficult, I always stepped into answering them. Ria was someone who would create a family, would care for you, would share with you. Being around her, she laughed with me and at me. It was amazing to listen to her, I wondered where she got all the love from?
Nikita appeared a little to herself, she wouldn't talk much. We didn’t talk verbally much but lots with the eyes. She would be having fun, and then I would look at her and she would shy away. Observing her was just enough to feel beautiful. She is a gem. In the end, she came and gave me a hi-five. It was just enough to make my day. "
Itika wrote,
ReplyDelete'The most serious concerns of our generation are frustration and tension: lack of happiness. So i try to imbibe happiness in my friends' lives by calling a different person everyday to provide them a hearing aid. This is my change. #fornature #changeisme'
I traveled to Allahabad for some work and met two of my dear friends and like young brothers. They are young entrepreneurs and have been running a startup past 18 months. Both of them come from lesser known colleges and from very humble backgrounds. They shared their journey and struggles that they are facing with their work. It was such a humbling exp. to just be with them and listen to their heart.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was like someone is sharing my story back to me. I felt emotional quite a few times while they were sharing. Their energy and passion for their work is contagious. Currently they are operating with acute shortage of financial capital and they do not come from a network that can support them. I spend good time with them and just heard them deeply, I did not have any solution to their challenges neither do I have enough money to solve their challenges.
I felt good that I could be there with them and listen them deeply. I committed to whatever small I can but I will remember them in my prayers and pray for more strength to them.
Thank you both of you for giving me an opportunity to be with you and get inspiration from your journey :)