Listen

Last week at church the sermon was about listening. It got me thinking a lot about listening and begin heard. The scripture the preacher used as the main text was James 1 verse 19; 'Know this, my beloved brothers let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. I really like the part of quick to hear and slow to speak. But if you know me well I tend to talk a lot and am guilty of not begin quick to hear and slow to speak. I wont address the slow to anger part that is another post on its own. Am that guilty of not listening a lot and sometimes in conversations am that person who listens to respond instead of listening to understand.

This got me thinking we live in world were being heard is a big deal. We are taught to express ourselves and society values articulate people. But listening is not a skill that is emphasised or praised. I remember my mother  laughing about how we as Africans tend to talk at the same time, she was watching an interview on TV a journalist was interviewing the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, most of the interview the both of them we talking a the same time. We it got me thinking most of us want to talk and be heard but we don't want to listen to other people. I have made a decision to listen more, to listen attentively and to be slow to speak. Its something that I have to chose to do everyday, several times a day.


I know that I want to be heard so from now on am listening to others so they too can be heard. Recently there has been talk of the over sexualisation of African/Black woman. I see a lot of these images on tumblr and it got me thinking its sad but its true most of the girls and woman want to be heard, so they are speaking a language that they know will have enable them to be heard. Its just like shouting or speaking loud. Have you met some people who always speak loud. They want to be heard so they speak up all the time. When you are loud no will miss you in crowd let alone try mess with you. I have been there, for a long time as teen I was told that I mumbled and that I did not speak loud enough. Then in an attempt to heard I started to speak very loud. Until I realised that I had a voice and that I could be heard without shouting or being loud.

We all have a voice, some have big voices, some have small voices and we all can be heard. We just have to make appreciate that conversation is a two way street much as we want to be heard we also have to listen otherwise it will be a speech. This week lets try it be quick to listen and slow to speak.