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What is Compassionate Listening Compassionate Listening Delegations to Israel/Palestine Past Trainings, Presentations
...the real opponent is not the other person or the other
nation, but the conditioning that has convinced us we are enemies. |
The principles of Compassionate Listening have been distilled from The Compassionate Listening Project’s work in the Middle East among Israelis and Palestinians. The very same principles are equally true and valuable wherever there are human beings in relationship with one another. We have seen again and again how powerfully healing the gift of listening is to those who long to be heard. When we take the time to open our hearts to others, especially those with whom we may be in conflict, it becomes difficult to view them as "the enemy." As we hear their stories, we begin to experience them as people who have all the same joys, fears, hopes and needs that we have. We come to see our shared humanity. Here is where our healing can begin. WHY DO IT?We are standing at a crossroads. We now must choose between continuing down the path of mutual destruction and misery or forging a new, more heart-oriented direction for our future evolution. Joanna Macy describes this juncture as "The Great Turning." Compassionate Listening, cultivating the skill of relating to one another from the heart, even in the heat of conflict, is the bedrock practice through which we can bring this about. It is creating peace in our lives, from the inside out. Contact Yael for a short, complimentary presentation, "A Taste of Compassionate Listening."Email: listening@listeningwiththeheart.org
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Copyright © — Listening with the Heart:
An Answer to Conflict — Compassionate Listening in Our Lives |
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The essence of Compassionate Listening is to initiate a heart-to-heart connection with other people, particularly those with whom we may disagree, by learning to be fully present, nonjudgmental and empathetic as we listen to them. Compassionate Listening is the practice of cultivating compassion for those on all sides of a conflict, including ourselves, and learning to retain our spiritual and emotional equilibrium especially when emotions are running high. This heart-based skill empowers us to bring peace to our relationships with our families, our communities, in the work place and in the world beyond.