“We must use our ears for ourselves and not give anyone else an earful.” Splendidly well put!
I agree absolutely with the drift of your argument Ant. But sadly, in today’s political discourse, Epictetus seems to have been forgotten and it’s more like two tongues and half an ear. Politicians seem to have been trained to talk twenty to the dozen and leave not the hint of a gap between their words in case a discomfiting question might be slipped in by their interlocutor. It probably all goes back to the need to defend against the attack dogs like Paxman. We should be careful what we wish for.
Thanks, words of wisdom from Epictetus and Ant in one podcast. People who speak too much or in the wrong way can be annoying, but also those who do not listen. Commenting on the comment from Derek, I found Jeremy Paxman a good interviewer. He did listen, but often the politicians deliberately avoid listening to the question.
Jesus said (Acts 20): it is more blessed to give than to receive”. But this was not in relation to speaking.
I must check on the internet whether the origins of hear, hear lie in our having two ears.
As always, Ant, a most interesting podcast.
Listening – not just listening but hearing – is an art that, with practise, can lead to more fulfilling interactions, whether face to face; listening to a podcast or other transmission; or listening to ourselves. It takes patience… compassion… focus – two ears, as is the title of your podcast. Pausing what we are in the midst of to truly hear what is being said. And listening to hear, to absorb, is as much an inward practise as it is outward; listening to our ownselves is perhaps just as important if not moreso – our consciousnesses; our hearts; our guardians; our internal compasses. Whatever one wants to call it.
Indeed, listening is an art.
“We must use our ears for ourselves and not give anyone else an earful.” Splendidly well put!
I agree absolutely with the drift of your argument Ant. But sadly, in today’s political discourse, Epictetus seems to have been forgotten and it’s more like two tongues and half an ear. Politicians seem to have been trained to talk twenty to the dozen and leave not the hint of a gap between their words in case a discomfiting question might be slipped in by their interlocutor. It probably all goes back to the need to defend against the attack dogs like Paxman. We should be careful what we wish for.
Thanks, words of wisdom from Epictetus and Ant in one podcast. People who speak too much or in the wrong way can be annoying, but also those who do not listen. Commenting on the comment from Derek, I found Jeremy Paxman a good interviewer. He did listen, but often the politicians deliberately avoid listening to the question.
Jesus said (Acts 20): it is more blessed to give than to receive”. But this was not in relation to speaking.
I must check on the internet whether the origins of hear, hear lie in our having two ears.
As always, Ant, a most interesting podcast.
Listening – not just listening but hearing – is an art that, with practise, can lead to more fulfilling interactions, whether face to face; listening to a podcast or other transmission; or listening to ourselves. It takes patience… compassion… focus – two ears, as is the title of your podcast. Pausing what we are in the midst of to truly hear what is being said. And listening to hear, to absorb, is as much an inward practise as it is outward; listening to our ownselves is perhaps just as important if not moreso – our consciousnesses; our hearts; our guardians; our internal compasses. Whatever one wants to call it.
Indeed, listening is an art.