Do you take the time to listen?
Sometimes you need to take a moment to stop, reflect, breath, and center yourself. I had one of those moments today while commuting home from work. I find that I tend to need these moments most when I unfairly apply my expectations onto others, particularly in the work context. And that is what happened today.
I will be the first to admit that while I talk about whole hearted living and the importance of empathy as a tool for social change, living these values in your everyday life can often be challenging. It takes conscious effort to live with courage, compassion, and connection, and quite frankly it is a never ending process. And in the moments where I find that I am not living those values, I have to stop, reflect, breath, and ask myself why am I not practicing the values I so strongly believe in.
I do believe in the power of empathy and the importance of showing up as key components of living a life with courage, compassion, and connection. And I find myself most centered when I have my own personal moments that remind me of how important it is to live by these philosophies. So, when I got home today I poured a bourbon, sat down, and reflected on one of those recent moments.
On Monday morning while still nursing my coffee, I received a phone call to my office. It was a gentleman calling from Kansas who wanted to talk about an issue with drug courts. I could have done a lot of things. I could have passed him off to someone else. I could have stopped him and told him that we are a research and policy organization and I wasn’t sure how we could help. But something in me said to stop and listen; that this man was making the effort to call a national criminal justice reform organization about an issue that was impacting him personally. So that is what I did. I stopped. I listened. And I gave him the space to talk and be heard.
It wasn’t a long call and what he shared was interesting. But what he said to me at the end of the call reminded me how choosing to live a life with empathy and an understanding of the importance of showing up is what is needed now more than ever.
He ended the call by thanking me for listening. He said that I was the first person who took the time to truly listen to his concerns about this issue in nearly 20 years. While that moment warmed my heart, it also struck a chord of sadness in me. I was heartened because I was able connect with him and listen, but at the same time I was deeply saddened that no one else had taken the time to value what he had to say.
Unfortunately, far too often in our society, country, and world we don't spend enough time listening. We don’t have to agree on everything, or even be able to offer solutions in the moment, but we can listen and we can empathize. I’ve never been addicted to drugs, but I could hear the frustration and pain in this man's voice as he described the challenges he is facing in recovery with the increased presence of people from drug courts to his meetings.
I don’t have solutions for him now, and maybe never will, but his story will stay with me as I continue my work on justice reform. And it will become one of the many stories I carry with me that remind me how important it is to take the time to listen.
I will be the first to admit that while I talk about whole hearted living and the importance of empathy as a tool for social change, living these values in your everyday life can often be challenging. It takes conscious effort to live with courage, compassion, and connection, and quite frankly it is a never ending process. And in the moments where I find that I am not living those values, I have to stop, reflect, breath, and ask myself why am I not practicing the values I so strongly believe in.
I do believe in the power of empathy and the importance of showing up as key components of living a life with courage, compassion, and connection. And I find myself most centered when I have my own personal moments that remind me of how important it is to live by these philosophies. So, when I got home today I poured a bourbon, sat down, and reflected on one of those recent moments.
On Monday morning while still nursing my coffee, I received a phone call to my office. It was a gentleman calling from Kansas who wanted to talk about an issue with drug courts. I could have done a lot of things. I could have passed him off to someone else. I could have stopped him and told him that we are a research and policy organization and I wasn’t sure how we could help. But something in me said to stop and listen; that this man was making the effort to call a national criminal justice reform organization about an issue that was impacting him personally. So that is what I did. I stopped. I listened. And I gave him the space to talk and be heard.
It wasn’t a long call and what he shared was interesting. But what he said to me at the end of the call reminded me how choosing to live a life with empathy and an understanding of the importance of showing up is what is needed now more than ever.
He ended the call by thanking me for listening. He said that I was the first person who took the time to truly listen to his concerns about this issue in nearly 20 years. While that moment warmed my heart, it also struck a chord of sadness in me. I was heartened because I was able connect with him and listen, but at the same time I was deeply saddened that no one else had taken the time to value what he had to say.
Unfortunately, far too often in our society, country, and world we don't spend enough time listening. We don’t have to agree on everything, or even be able to offer solutions in the moment, but we can listen and we can empathize. I’ve never been addicted to drugs, but I could hear the frustration and pain in this man's voice as he described the challenges he is facing in recovery with the increased presence of people from drug courts to his meetings.
I don’t have solutions for him now, and maybe never will, but his story will stay with me as I continue my work on justice reform. And it will become one of the many stories I carry with me that remind me how important it is to take the time to listen.
Do you take time out of your day to listen?
With open ears,
DC3FO
With open ears,
DC3FO