We’re Not Listening or Hearing Voices that Matter
“To whom do we listen?” is the question I keep asking myself. This is a relevant question in a wide range of contexts. We need to listen to the voices of those in the know. We need to listen to the voices of those with wisdom we lack. We need to listen to those with whom we disagree so we can understand their thoughts. We need to listen to those with dangerous voices because we need to absorb their rhetoric and its potential for danger.
We need to listen for several reasons. We need to listen to find truth. We need to listen to ferret out real risks. We need to listen so we can respond, whether with our words, our actions, our votes.
Here’s a link to a piece I just wrote on listening to the voices of teachers. Why don’t we listen to them as they have real experience that counts in education? We don’t give them the respect their voices merit. We need to listen because they are a key source of information and understanding that can improve the lives of children…yours, mine and those across the nation.
On the other hand, as offensive as they were and are, we need to listen to the offensive voices at T’s Madison Square Garden Nazi look-alike rally last night. Why? Because we need to reflect on T as the possible new leader of our nation. Are he and his surrogates what we want? And for those who oppose him, we need to understand his appeal to so many people. Think about what we can learn and then do if we listen.
I am deeply concerned about our world. For real. But, we need to be calm, cool, collected and kind. We need to role model behavior that matters. We need to message that we can and will and do listen. And then we act, whether by adopting changes or by rejecting offensive language.
I want to end with a realization that I garnered from another. Sometimes, folks exaggerate and don’t do what they say. Other times, folks actually mean what they say and will turn words into deeds. For me, teachers speak truth to power. At the MSG rally last night, those fighting offensive words can and will become deeds if we let them. They don’t represent speaking truth to power. No, they represent real or feigned power failing to tell the truth.
Post Script: My friend Betty shared that I had missed a voice to which we also should listen: our own internal voice. She’s right for sure. We need to keep our North Star with us at all times and listen to our internal voices of reason, fairness, kindness and civility.
