Compassionate Listening(SM) can be defined as the art of listening to someone with such undivided, nonjudgmental attention that the speaker feels safe enough to go deeply into his/her feelings about the experience he or she is relating. Such deep listening does not necessarily signal agreement. Rather, as Compassionate Listeners, we practice putting our own opinions aside as we strive to be fully present for the speaker. The basic position of the Compassionate Listener is that every human being has the right to be heard and his feelings acknowledged.

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.

Photo by Yael Petretti