I am certain that, of speaking and of listening, — to listen well is the more difficult skill.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I heard the old Marvin Gaye song, What’s Going On.  The tune is an appeal for careful, generous listening so that we can see “What’s going on.”  Marvin’s appeal is as penetrating today as it was in the 1971 when the song was released.  There is even more shouting today, the wildly gesticulating pundits on Fox, CNN, MSNBC not to speak of the on-line streaming outlets.  Such a din is enough to drive the sanity from anyone.

A friend commented to me via email that he couldn’t see himself voting for any democratic party candidate in the 2020 election for the White House because liberals are crazy.  I didn’t challenge him about his statement because I knew he would quote me chapter and verse in support for his conviction.

I confess that it is easy for me to have my mind made up that conservative minded folk are likewise crazy, unhinged….

Why don’t we take a step back, take a deep breath and confess that on our bad days, and there are plenty of those, — we are all crazy? 

I am no more and no less unhinged than my conservative friend.  The influences that impinge upon you and I in daily life: the aches and pains, mental and physical which we feel, the conditions of our work situation, the cost of medical insurance coverage, anguish over the suffering of one or more of our children, etc — all of that adds up.  One can feel crushed, hard pressed, searching for someone to blame for our funk, for our temporary dysfunction, for our unhappiness.

Do we not need to listen with a capacious, generosity of mind and spirit to one another?   If we are confused, and do not know what’s going on it is because of our ignorance, our unwillingness to take at face value what another has to say, to be better informed.  We do not have to agree. But if we listen we will be more informed, and in consequence we will have earned the right to be heard.

The truth, what jointly is held between us, will be an effective strategy for our survival.

Our fate, our future is intertwined.

Achieve the truth and live.

As far as we know, there is no narrator of this show.  So it is up to us.

For more about Marvin Gaye’s concept album, What’s Going On,  CLICK HERE.