#69: The Reason Behind My Quietness and Why I Love Therapy Sessions
The art of listening is slowly being eradicated. I lie. It is quickly dissipating. Replies. Comments. Unsolicited advice. Nowadays people only listen enough to what you're saying or order to formulate a response.
That's why I choose not to talk that much.
I recently had a supervisor get upset with me because she felt as though I was being "unresponsive." Despite that as she spoke I maintained eye contact with her minus the times I glanced at the computer screen as she emphasized important points, she thought I wasn't listening. I was even writing notes the entire time! Was she serious?
Society has conditioned her, and many others, that one must prove attentiveness with a chorus of "Okay!", "Yes!", and "Mmmhmm!". No longer is undivided attention a sign of respect.
Le sigh.
At least it's comforting to know that for a small co-pay I can rely on the ears of a therapist for 60 minutes once a week. The comforting way a question not being posed until I pause is priceless. Not a "let me catch my breath" pause, but a true, "I've finished my thought and now it's your turn to speak" pause.
Perhaps that's why I don't understand the obsession with blog comments, Instagram likes and Twitter retweets. If you follow me, I trust that you are genuinely interested in "hearing" what I have to post.
But then again, what the hell do I know?