Listening !

I had never really realized the importance of this subject. Yes Listening is the most important part of communication of any kind and yet we all take it so casually. Do we really listen? To people around us, to ourselves, or just the beautiful sounds offered by God. Yes these are question that came to my mind when I met up with a young 17 year old boy at the park a few days ago.

He is one of my dear friend’s cousin brother …Mihir. I have known him for years. He hasn’t been a normal born child yet over the years he has improved a lot. And now he looks and behaves very normal. (Except for his speech, which I found a bit difficult to understand )

I had stepped out to a park after ages was tackling emotional waves arising in my mind of my life’s sudden slow down. I think, I was getting in to my self pity modes. Mihir was taking his evening walk and each time he passed me he would give me really affectionate smile. After a while he came up and sat down with me and began talk. As if he was waiting to share and chat a lot. It’s was a very cute, innocent and touching conversation.

He talked about how he misses his brother who has gone abroad for studies, how it hurt him to see his cousin brother who is upset with educational life is angry with things and him and refuses to talk or play with him, he talked about how his special school had a lot of poor people and how uncomfortable he was with the bad smell from their clothes, how he had very few friends, how anxious he was of just ‘passing exams’, How he was on his own most of times, how he looked forward to meeting my friends /his cousin’s 1 year old baby and just playing with her,how he looked forward to celebrating his birthday with his mom and dad who took him to fancy restaurant and so on .

As I quietly and willing listened to him I realized how he really lived every moment, he didn’t seem to know or care of any major goals or ambitions in life, how small things that we take for granted meant so much for him, and that was his way of living may be that god had chosen for him. He had his own issues, sadness and happy moments.

For the 1st time I realized the importance of listening. The importance of what true listening could reveal about the other person who we merely judge but not really get to understand what his / her true reality is. It’s strange how we really don’t listen much yet expect to be heard out and complain how people around / loved ones don’t listen to us.

Thanx, Mihir our little chat or rather my willingness to listen has made realize it’s importance !