22nd May 2024
Viktor Frankl, one of the greatest psychiatrists survived the death camps of Nazi Germany.
His little book,“Man’s Search for Meaning”, is one of those life changing books that everyone should read.
Frankl once told the story of a woman who called him in the middle of the night to calmly inform him that she was about to commit suicide.
Frankl kept her on the phone and talked her through her depression, giving her reason after reason to carry on living.
Finally, she promised she would not take her life, and she kept her word.
When they met later, Frankl asked which reason had persuaded her to live?
“None of them”, she told him.
“What then influenced her to go on living, he pressed?
Her answer was simple, it was Frankl’s ‘willingness to listen’ to her in the middle of the night.
A world in which there was someone ready to listen to another’s pain seemed to her a world in which it was worthwhile to live.
Often, it is not the brilliant argument that makes the difference.
Sometimes the small act of ‘listening’ is the greatest gift we can give.
Listening is one key to success in life that is neglected often.
When you listen you gather vital information that can come to be useful in making correct decisions.
When you listen, you make the other person feel valued. That itself is a key element in building lasting relationships.
When you listen, you are showing humility and a willingness to learn. It is quite the opposite of the “I know it all” attitude.
When you listen, you can avoid the trap of speaking hastily. For when you speak without thinking you say foolish things, and sometimes you speak angrily too.
When you listen, you show great understanding. It shows your ability to see all sides of the issue as it helps you to analyse the situation, weigh the pros and cons and come to an effective conclusion.
When you listen, you train yourself in the art of reading between the lines. Often what is left unsaid is more important than what people really said.
When you listen, you are doing others a great favour. You are sharing with others your precious time. For many in today’s madly busy world are finding it nearly impossible to get a listening ear even within one’s home and with loved ones too.
Just listen, hear the unspoken cry and reach out to the ones in need amongst your friends and family and stay blessed forever.