The Act and Art of Listening

Had a conversation this afternoon about an actor who doesn't listen. Oh, I am sure he listens to his director and other people around him. The point is, when his character is supposed to be listening, you can tell he (the actor or the character) is not doing so.

Listening is a hard trait to portray on stage or in the movies or tv because 1) you, the actor, actually has to listen and 2) your character has to give some indication of that happening. And if the actor is not listening, just hanging around waiting for the next cue, it shows in the character. Even if the audience is not aware of what is (or is not) happening, there is a feeling of dis-ease, of something being just a little bit off. And the show or the scene is not quite as good as it might be.

We can learn something about life from this little theatrical example. It is important that when we listen, we really listen. We hear what the person is saying to us. We aren't just hanging out trying to think what we should say next or "waiting for our cue" as it were. Otherwise there is something a little off. People around us, and especially the person speaking, can tell we aren't totally present.

We like to think of ourselves as good listeners - I mean, weren't we taught that in kindergarten? Nevertheless, it is a skill we need to cultivate all our lives in order to stay in the moment, living and listening every moment to the fullest. ~ with blessings