The Power of Listening: Everyone’s Story Matters

Everyone has a story to tell if you listen 

Some are filled with glory  

Some are filled with despair 

Everyone has a different story to tell 

They all share similarities either in the telling or in the facts 

But no two stories are the same 

My story is filled with pitfalls, trenches, mountains, and valleys 

Everyone has need to share their story  

A need to be heard  

But so often we are so wrapped up in our own stories 

We have a hard time listening to others 

We sit there and compare our story to someone else’s 

That’s not what we need to do  

Comparison is the thief of joy 

We need to sit and listen with empathy 

Without trying to fix without trying to give advice unless it’s asked for 

Imagine what the world would be like if we all listened to each others stories  

And I mean really listened with a hunger to know and understand 

To walk a mile in the other person’s shoes 

Imagine a world where we listened with rapt attention to other peoples stories  

Instead of half focus at best and derision or dismissiveness at worst 

With understanding of what other people have been through and are going through we could change the world 

We could burn down the strongholds of hate 

And build new bridges between us 

Bridges built on mutual understanding and empathy 

Maybe it’s just a pipe dream 

But I dream of a world where we listen to each other with rapt attention 

Instead of focusing on our phones 

Instead of focusing on our differences, we focused on our similarities 

Focused on what unites us all 

On the pains and joys we all share 

Everyone’s got a story to tell and the path to a better world involves listening to them.