Listening is a Creative Force

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inKarl A Menninger, Listening, Madeleine L'EngleTags:, ,

Creative Force

“Part of doing something is listening. We are listening. To the sun. To the stars. To the wind.” 

― Madeleine L’Engle, Swiftly Tilting Planet

Karl A Menninger, psychiatrist, once said, “Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force.  The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward.  When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”

Listening is an act of life, of faith, of beauty, of hope.  It requires absolute mindfulness.

When we listen, we create.  It is our gift to our world.

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

24 thoughts on “Listening is a Creative Force”

  2. By the way, your replies to my comments on your post always used to appear in my notifications. They no longer do. In fact it is not only your comments that fail to appear. This means it is difficult to maintain conversations unless I constantly check back to your posts. Do you have the same problem when you comment on my posts? Do you receive my answers in your notifications or do you have to search for them on my posts?

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    1. I understand that there have been some concerns with regard to the comment notifications. Several people noted this concern in their posts and I found it to be the case as well. In fact, I went back to your blog a couple times to be certain that you received my comments. But it seems that the problem has been resolved. Hurrah!!!

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  3. Yes, it’s not something most of us give a lot of thought to. We give more thought to what we might say, or when to say it, or to who we might say it to. But we all need someone to listen to us, so we also need to listen. It reminds me of those that have blogs who never visit other blogs, just post their work and wait for someone to come and read it. But if all the bloggers of the internet world did that, their would be hardly anyone reading what was written. So what would the point be of a blog with hardly any readers? I think listening is a bit like blogging, it’s a very interactive action, and without it our world just wouldn’t function that well at all 🙂

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    1. Well said!! I agree wholeheartedly! Before I started to blog, I did a bit of research and spoke with a researcher that specialized on social media, specifically the blogosphere. He said – “Quite simply, blogging is about a conversation. If you expect to write a blog, you must engage, make comments, receive comments, answer comments. Otherwise, it isn’t considered social media. The “social” has been left out.

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  4. Listening is believing… It is our provision in the future. So inspiring, Rebecca. and looking at the above photo, I just want to seat on the top of that rock watching the horizon and listen to the songs from the ocean. Isn’t it nice?

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    1. What a profound insight – “it is our provision in the future.” I felt goosebumps when I read your comments! I love to hear the songs from the ocean – they call to me!

      “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”Andre Gide

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      1. That is become a proverb here and could be anywhere ( “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”). I am so glad and grateful to have a friend like you, whom I can talk with and share many wonderful things and make our lives full of joy 🙂

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      2. We are kindred spirits! We live on opposite sides of the world, but we travel the same pathway. I am so glad that we connected over the blogger miles – I am celebrating.

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  5. Listening does indeed requires absolute mindfulness, it can be the most difficullt thing to do but inevitably creates an awareness of that creative force

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    1. I confess, I have yet to master mindfulness. I think it goes hand-in-hand with meditation. I particularly like this quote – it looks simple enough, but it is something that I continue to learn:

      “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”Buddha

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  7. Madeleine L’Engle–remember when we read: “A Wrinkle in Time” together? What a happy memory. By the way, speaking of “mindfulness”, Martha Jean just attended a seminar that talked and discussed “mindfulness” and it importance especially in working with children with developmental issues. I am sure that we can all profit from listening to the sun, the stars, the wind and those around us.

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    1. I learned a great idea from “A Wrinkle in Time.” We read it together, and I read it with my son many years later. It was still as magnificent…

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    1. I think that we are so excited by what we are doing that we forget that other people may have great things happening in their lives. It is curious however, how we think that people are more interested in our lives than their own. Usually, it is quite the opposite. 🙂

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    1. Well said – I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for your comments – much appreciated!

      “The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.”
      Fran Lebowitz

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      1. what a quote will post it in my twitter 😉 have a great day R
        Rebecca (what a beautiful name too 🙂 )

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