Actively listening?

Haven’t we heard toxic people discouraging us? But even good people can discourage us with their good intentions. It is impossible not to listen to the multitude of opinions and noisy comments from the people around. But active listening will help us separate the chaff from the grain.

Active listening includes the right analysis and understanding the intention of the speaker. If the analysis is right, it is easier to take what is needed and chuck what is unworthy. Our failure to understand the focus of the speaker can land us in trouble. Let us revisit the sad story of an eaglet who passively followed the rusty words of fellow chicks.

There once lived an eaglet along with a flock of chickens as the mother hen had hatched the fledgling eagle counting it as just another egg. The eaglet lived like a chick. But was unhappy since he wanted to fly and none of his siblings flew. He was frequently discouraged by other chicks saying ‘chicks do not fly’, which is, very well true.

He failed to understand that chicks were not talking about him! The urge in him to fly could have been pursued if he had understood the real intention of the chicks. They were not discouraging the eaglet. They didn’t want chicks to fly. They didn’t want him to go separately from the flock and be prey to other animals. They were naive fellows who underestimated the eaglet’s potential.

He saw other eagles soaring high near the cliff top and timidly flapped his wings like a chick. That’s the best he could do, or so he thought.

What should the eaglet have done? Ideally he should have followed his dreams to fly high by actively listening to the chicken and pit it against their backdrop (limiting context).

Don’t you think, an understanding of the context is half the text known? And even, half the battle won!