Listen

  
Last week we played “If I were to win the lottery…” a lot (which I won’t because I don’t play).  But if somehow I did come by a ton of money, I would call up this kid named Mohsin.  I teased him and pinched his cheeks and goaded him into riding roller coasters when he was little.  I think I may have chased him when he was on crutches on one historic occasion.  But he’s grown into the person I would call if I won the lottery.  I would call him and say, “I have all this. What are we going to do?”  For now, all I can do is listen to the voices he is making available to all of us.  And ask the people who visit me here to listen as well.  Check out his Huffington Post Blogpost about his work and what he’s learned from listening here.

We all talk a whole lot. About lots of things. And even while we listen, we often are thinking about what we’re going to say next. Pretty much constantly. But sometimes listening is the only useful thing to do.*  To voices really different from ours. To ideas that make us uncomfortable or sad or challenge us in some way.  And then to really think deeply about what we’ve heard.  To allow our minds to be changed.  The whole point of having a mind is allowing it to be changed by new information, to keep growing.  Thinking critically is each of our responsibility and right and privilege.  

But if you are looking for a writing prompt, here’s your opening phrase, from one of my favorite poems, Kim Addonizio’s Fuck:

“There are people who will tell you…”

*Occasionally, if you’re really willing to go out on a limb in conversation and ramble a bit and speak in fits and starts (and if the person you’re talking to is down with that and allows you the space to do so), you might be able to learn something useful while talking. But more often, we learn from listening.