Ears wide open: listening as an act of rebellion
It’s tough these days to find the balance between being a conscientious, caring person, informed world citizen, and sane, productive human. The state of the world has us in a state of perma-fight or flight, with a never-ending stream of destruction and chaos, scored with its own cacophony of opinions and outcries. You’d be forgiven for looking for a way to channel your shock, anger, fear, or helplessness. I’m here to propose a not-so-radical, radical solution to the question ‘what does one do?’ And suggest that it’s actually, ‘Don’t do. Don’t speak. Don’t raise your voice. The world needs us to listen.’ And I’ll tell you why. In a time of never-ending discord, developing the art of listening is an act of rebellion against a culture of hatred, fear and division. And a rebellion against the oversimplification of a complex world into just ‘us and them’. Listening is also the raw material for that near-mythical bridge to cultural harmony that everyone is groping for in the darkness of these days. Here’s how I arrived at these conclusions. The world is brimming with noise, and I can’t hear myself think. Can you? Ah, but I find solace in the words of Fred Rogers, that most amicable of humans, embodiment of kindness, and US television personality: “Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.” So I put away the phone, I switch off from the news as an act of self-love, and I have the mental space to remember: ‘Hang on a minute. I created a forum for listening. For discovering our shared humanity. I’ve been building that raw material for the bridge to cultural harmony. And, funnily enough, it is RAW — the uncensored storytelling night that’s been breaking the London mould of entertainment for nearly 2 years now.
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