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Friday, November 28, 2008

Paying Attention...


One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal we can employ to create a more peaceful world is often overlooked and undervalued, it is our attention.
Paying attention to each other, those we see in our daily lives as well as those continents away that we may never see, improves our lives… others lives, as well as the climate of the world.
We may not be able to change the frustrations or quell the challenges others face, but by taking the time to listen and trying to understand their plight it can give hope. When someone really takes the time to listens it sends the signal that we matter…that our voice is heard, which gives us strength.
Listening to each others stories also helps to narrow the divide between individuals and cultures, the more we engage with each other the more we begin to recognize our similarities as human beings and citizens of the earth….and discover that at our core we all share the same basic emotional and physical needs for survival.
So as many of us fly through life at warp speed lets try to be mindful of hearing the need for attention and try to allocate a few moments of our day to listening.
Thanks for listening!!

2 comments:

yle said...

You are so right. But sometimes I have such a difficult time paying attention. I try, but it just doesn't happen. or at least I don't have enough to pay toward the particular individual that is needing my attention at that moment. I can feel the glazed look coming over my face and the sound of their voice fades away. They are still talking to me and I know I should be listening but I'm not. Then all of a sudden I realize there is a silence and the person is staring at me with that all too familiar look of disappointment. I've run out of 'funds' to pay attention with and there is little I can do about it. Now I must summon up the energy and will to piece together what they could have possibly been talking about. I try to recall the dreamlike remnants of their story. And although i feel bad about the break in the attention and the increase in tension between me and my friend, it is most times the best part of my day.

Suzi said...

Yle...what is the best part of your day..the mental rest when your mind has wondered off or paying attention when someone needs you...sorry didn't quite get that....but I so know the routine..right back to the startle when you realize you have drifted away...I think it is somthing that we all (well perhaps not all) need to work on....what was I saying??