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Give every man thy ear but few thy voice

Giving proper attention to the fears, concerns, moods and aspirations of the speaker, a good listener not only wins the heart of a speaker but also enriches his knowledge, experience and wisdom. He believes in the Epictetus saying that “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”. Good listeners give proper space to their speakers. In order to relieve the pains of suffering people, they pay heed to their voice rather than yelling their outburst in response. They realize that listening is an art that brings perfection to one’s personality and character. Writers, authors and intellectuals nurture this quality to a far greater extent. But this intolerant, fanatical and talkative world is certainly devoid of good listeners. People, irrespective of age factor, love to talk or speak more than to listen. They prefer to give advice than to have it. Mostly people use rhetoric and inflammatory words to dominate others.

Power has always played its venomous role to suppress the voice of the oppressed ones. Warlords inflict their policies without listening to their subjects. America, in insatiable thirst of blood, ignored the massive protest of the world and ravaged Iraq under the excuse of WMDs (i.e., Weapons of Mass Destruction). Winston Churchill says, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." But USA is lacking this courage and is rushing blindly to monopolize the world. UNO, that was made to listen to the afflictions of the mankind, has become a puppet in the hands of the super powers. The voice of the crying children, moaning mothers, sobbing sisters and howling brothers is enough to stir the emotions of anyone belonging to the human category. But UNO has become deaf to such voices rising from Kashmir, Palestine, and Iraq. Pakistan, since inception, is striving for true democracy where the voice of the people might be heard; dreams of the people might come true. But despite the decades of independence, people are still struggling for their basic human rights. Rulers come, chalk out their plans, formulate policies and impose them on the grieved people without giving their ears to their cries.

Listening more and talking less is harbinger of wisdom and maturity, because as we grow in years, our words decrease and our thoughts ripen. Listening to seniors, elders, teachers, intellectuals and other wise people will always enhance our knowledge and widen our mental horizon. It is, therefore, imperative for us to listen more and more to imbibe and assimilate the words of wisdom and improve our knowledge to the great extent. Listening flourishes wisdom, and speaking mounts repentance. D.J. Kaufman nicely sums up in the following words, "Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening ... when you'd have preferred to talk."

Regards,
Ali