Active listening

I passed by a Spanish elementary school the other day. I saw the children coming out and being greeted by their parents. They chatted passionately. The children talked about their day at great length while the parents listened lovingly. That is listening.

And you should see how my eight year old niece is when she is listening. It seems like all parts of her body are directed to you. She nods at the right time. She smiles and laughs whenever something amuses her. And her eyes -- her round brown beautiful eyes -– never stray away from you throughout the whole conversation. The eyes literally glow out of enthusiasm. That is listening.

As with other children, most of the time she is naughty, except when her mother is sick or tired. Incredible. She listens and knows what the mother is communicating to her, even without saying a word or by saying very few words. That is listening.

It is amazing what we can learn from parents and children. Yet many of us so called adults often struggle and, thus, take special courses on active listening. Even that only works occasionally. How sad is that?

Sometimes I think children are the most human of all human. Sometimes I think it is us who should learn more from the children, and not the other way around.