Losing our Listening

  In Julian Treasure's video he is explaining the different ways we are losing our listening.  He states that the invention of how we record things from writing, to audio and now video has made the "premium of accurate and careful listening disappear."  He further states the world is so noisy that it makes it hard and tiring to listen.  Because of this we are becoming impatient, being desensitized and it is becoming harder for us to pay attention to the quiet. Julian expresses that losing our listening is a serious problem because listening is our access to understanding.  Conscious listening always creates understanding and without conscious listening the world would be a very scary place.    While watching and listening to this video it reminded me of my everyday life.  Just at supper tonight there was so much noise around us, the fan on the microwave, the TV, the dog barking and each one of us trying to talk over the other, that it made it impossible for anyone to listen to anything.  These kind of nights make me impatient and too tired to listen.  When I become too tired to listen I become the "fraudulent listener."  Which effects the type of feedback I am giving back to my family.  If listening is the main way we experience the flow from past to present then we really need to become accurate and ethical listeners.  In Julian's video he lists 5 exercises we can do to improve our listening skills:  1. Silence Excercsise: Take 3 minutes of the day to get silence.2. The Mixer: Try to listen to how many channels of sound one can hear3. Savoring: Enjoying mundane sounds.4. Listening Positions: the idea that you can move your listening position to what you're listening to.5. RASA: Receive, Appreciate, Summorize and Ask   I felt it would be fitting for me to try the "Silence" exercise.  I waited until everyone was asleep, otherwise this exercise would not work.  Almost immediately I felt more relaxed and ready to listen.  The sound of my children breathing almost in sync deed in fact reset my ears and got me ready to listen again.  I feel if I practice this exercise everyday I will have less and less days where I am feeling impatient and too tired to listen.  I feel that I can become the conscious listener Julian is talking about and be able to give effective feedback.  Julian is correct in saying, "That every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully"