Listening.

Listening. This is a topic that I've personally been learning about a lot lately. I knew what it was to listen to people. I've always loved hearing people's stories, absorbing friend's teary outbursts, and taking in conversations all around me. But recently, I was having a conversation with someone, reflecting on normal childhood things. They asked a simple question: "You've spoken about what happened, but how did you feel? What did you think about?" That one simple question made me realize the importance of listening and being listened to. I had seen other people enjoy speaking and I surely enjoyed listening. But that moment made me realize the authority you're given when someone wants to know your story. When someone asks you a question that you've never been asked before that you've been dying to talk about, you're given agency and validity. Your story is now important.

That's exactly why the part that struck me the most from these readings was the short selection from Carl Faber's book "On Listening." The sentiment expressed in this excerpt resonates so deeply with me. Not only is it true in my own life, this is what intrigues me about the documentary approach to storytelling. The poetry that comes out of everyday life is astonishing. Normal people have incredibly powerful stories. And we, as storytellers, can give that someone the chance to be listened to.

This is particularly true in the current era of technology. Everything's so accessible. The opportunities are available for anyone to share their story. This is clear in the other piece we read, "Listening is an Act of Love." Everyone has a story to tell if they're just given the opportunity. And with StoryCorps, they were. From the lavishly loving elderly couple to the entire Cantonese community of Chinatown. All it takes is someone to listen. These articles re-inspired my love for listening to people. Not merely hearing the words their saying, but actively absorbing their story. As Faber says: "This experience of freedom and communion helps us to feel that someone is for us. And it is this deep sensing of someone, somewhere being for us that breaks into the silent loneliness of our lives and encourages us in the struggle to be human."