As ironic as it may sound, we’re far more inspiring to others when we’re willing to listen than when we’re giving them advice. That’s because conveying to others that we value what they have to say is a way of demonstrating that we care. It’s a way of being inspiring; People who find it difficult to listen to another person without bringing the conversation back to themselves are convinced by their ego of their self-importance.
And as you’re well aware by now, that ego is an illusion that convinces us to pay attention to a false self.
There’s no higher compliment than to be told we’re a good listener. Everyone loves a good listener largely because it makes them feel loved, cared for, and worthy of
being heard. When we leave any encounter where we feel we’ve been heard, even if we know the listener strongly disagreed with us, we’re still inspired. Why? Because for a few moments the listener has emulated what it feels like when we pray. In deep prayer, we’re not looking for the resolution of conflict or answers falling from the sky; we just want to feel as if we’re in contact with someone who cares enough to hear us out.
This brings to mind something Mohandas Gandhi, one of the truly inspirational beings of our time, once said: “Silence of the sewn up lips is no silence. One may achieve the same result by chopping off one’s tongue, but that too would not be silence. He is truly silent who, having the capacity to speak, utters no idle word ...”
In addition, these words from Ralph Waldo Emerson have always reminded me to be a listener: “I like the silent church, before the service begins, better than the preaching.” It’s a good idea to keep this in mind if we wish to be a source of inspiration.