By JANET HART LEONARD
From the Hart
Will I ever dare to put my big toe into the crack of another person’s opinion? Will I allow that toe to even consider he or she might be even a tad bit correct in their thinking? Could a compromise be found in that crack?
Will I allow my thoughts to wander into their point of view? Why would someone listen to my opinion if I won’t listen to theirs? Hello?
Have I become so closed-minded that I am deaf to the opinions of those with whom I disagree?
Listen up!
Oh conversations, where have you gone?
Two or more people having a conversation where they are leaning in and listening both to the thoughts as well as the heart of the person speaking. That’s my definition.
I look at the aisles that seem wider than ever and I shake my head as to why people can’t listen to each other and find a compromise. Remember that thing called “compromise” where we give and take? It’s a rarity in the crazy tug-of-war world in which we live today.
What about me? Am I any different?
Trouble is that I tend to listen in preparation for speaking. I do not take the time to allow the words of the speaker to land inside my mind, let alone my heart, long enough to get an understanding of what they are saying and why they are saying it. It’s as if it is me against the opinionator. (Yes, Chuck, I know that is not a word … but it is now.)
I am already thinking of what I think they need to hear. My thoughts and opinions trump theirs. (Good lands, I even hesitate to use that verb.) I look like I’m listening, but the truth is I am preparing my rebuttal.
I want to defend my thoughts before I even hear what the other person will say. Does anyone else do this? I think I know what they will say, and I know I will not agree with them.
I take their opinions inside the court where I am the jury and judge. Read that again. I am giving them a chance for final arguments knowing what my verdict will be. They will be found wrong in the court of Janet.
Is anyone willing to say “Amen” and “me too”?
As I am getting older, (I’m working hard to do that ever so slowly) I am trying to listen, really LISTEN.
How do I expect anyone else to do so if I can’t listen and compromise? If I can’t be a soft place to share an opinion, how can I expect to find that soft place in others?
In a world so harshly divided can we find a softness as we come together in the median of compromise? The median of compromise is such a rarity in this day and age that I wonder if the world would even recognize it.
I pray I can sit down and lean in and allow a bit of diversity into my mind and my heart. It is there where compromise can enter as well. I pray I can find it for my sake and the world in which I live.
My big toe might just be inching its way towards the crack of differing opinions. If my big toe can do it, I pray others can do it as well.