Huzaima Bukhari<\/p>\n
Where many start blindly imitating others in the hope of achieving similar success without using their minds, chances are that they may end up losing whatever little they have<\/p>\n
\u201cAny problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn\u2019t listening\u201d?Emma Thompson
\nIn the novel \u201cTo Kill a Mocking Bird,\u201d Harper Lee said: \u201cPeople generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.,\u201d but in very few cases do they actually listen to what others are saying. From the heated discourse on media platforms to political debates, from the classroom discussions to arguments on the roads, from the courtroom proceedings to the closed-circuit homes, words are being mouthed by one and all everywhere but the availability of keen listeners willing to absorb another\u2019s viewpoint is rare. The sound of words is like multiple orchestras playing different tunes simultaneously and the noise that erupts is not just deafening: it even locks the faculty of thinking in the brain.
\nThe perfect listening time of human life is one spent in a mother\u2019s lap as a newborn. Lacking the ability to speak or move, a child merely listens and soaks in the words-the advice, the training, the loving reprimands. Until then, there does not appear an iota of disagreement because the traffic of words is one way. These serene moments are short-lived and as the child picks up language and he is able to move around at will, disputes begin to emerge with the mother becoming the first controversial person in one\u2019s life. Unknowingly, she takes the form of a demon, when she stops her children from obstinacy regarding behaviour, food, recreation, friends, studies, and whatnot. Since children are not inclined to listen, they repent later in their lives but those who do, earn rewards later in life because they understand the sincerity hidden in this harshness.
\nAt the level of the universities, where students and teachers are mature enough to have developed a particular mindset, the art of listening needs to be honed all the more. Coming from peculiar backgrounds, it becomes very difficult to listen to things that may be in direct conflict with one\u2019s school of thought. Jimi Hendrix aptly said: \u201cKnowledge speaks, but wisdom listens,\u201d and perhaps educational institutions are the places where this quote best applies because as Robert Frost puts it: \u201cEducation is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.\u201d
\nIt takes tremendous courage to speak on highly controversial issues, especially about beliefs, religion, political leanings, social matters, etc. but it takes even more courage to listen to ideas that are in complete defiance and poles apart from what we believe. This can happen only in civilised institutions and not those that are influenced by a specific ideology. Otherwise, we would not have gruesome incidents like the lynching and killing of Mashal Khan in 2017 by the students and staff of Abdul Wali Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There are many examples of students clashing with their teachers and colleagues just because they lack the capacity to listen to opposing ideas. Roy T Bennet\u2019s advice to people who react without thinking: \u201cListen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don\u2019t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don\u2019t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what\u2019s behind the words.\u201d
\nIf we do understand and follow these words of guidance, there would hardly remain any reason to fight with each other.
\nOur good friend and writer of many op-eds, Mr Jamil Mogul, has developed his unique strategy abbreviated as TLCD with respect to romantic and professional life that makes sense and appeals to a sane mind. For the former, TLCD stands for Trust, Love, Care, and Desire whereas, for success in the professional realm, it means Think, Listen, Create and Do. Expanding upon this idea, one would say that where many start blindly imitating others in the hope of achieving similar success without using their minds, chances are that they may end up losing whatever little they have. Those who reach watermarks of achievement are usually adorned with the ability to ponder, to listen to their employees of whichever class, create new visions, and roll in the wheels of action to accomplish their goals because as Carlos Ruiz Zafon says: \u201cFools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen.\u201d Of course, this does not imply that all who speak or love to speak are fools but wisdom entails both sensible speech and the art of listening.
\nMany of our respected politician-cum-leaders and our knowledgeable fraternity can learn a lot from paying attention to and listening keenly to comments and criticisms showering down from all nooks and crannies. Whether it is the print media or the electronic media, there is an unstoppable barrage of appraisements regarding their acts that require attention and which need to be redressed immediately yet it seems that all addressees are absolutely hard of hearing as all reviews and pleas of the people seem to be falling on deaf ears. While the common man is reeling with problems of daily life with lack of basic amenities as gas, electricity, drinking water, and back-breaking inflation, those at the helm of affairs continue to engage in self-applause and attacking their political opponents. This shows and proves what is meant by disorganization, bad governance, imprudence, and above all, disability in listening, either to sense or sensibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Huzaima Bukhari Where many start blindly imitating others in the hope of achieving similar success without using their minds, chances are that they may end up losing whatever little they have \u201cAny problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn\u2019t listening\u201d?Emma Thompson In the novel \u201cTo Kill […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2470,1302,2471,2472],"class_list":{"0":"post-236285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-faculty","8":"tag-huzaima-bukhari","9":"tag-listening","10":"tag-waning"},"yoast_head":"\n