Are we listening?

When I think of questions like the title of this post, I think of the lyrics “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?”

Like John Adams in “1776”, I keenly want to know if the Universe is paying attention. Is anybody really listening to anyone else? Am I listening to my fellow man? This may seem a lofty goal for a January Sunday, but I raise the question regardless.

I have always been highly aware of all that is happening around me. Even if I have not always made this known to every person I come in contact with, I am a highly sensitive and empathetic person. This means that I feel deeply, and immediately pick up on the feelings and possible turmoil or tension in others. It sometimes is a thing I bring forward or try to help with, but mostly just exists for me. There are many people who are empathetic, or pick up on what’s going on around them, but in my case the combination of this and bipolar disorder can make things even more intense and imbued with consternation. I feel every tear and smile tenfold. And they mingle with my own. Sometimes i help, sometimes I pull away in an attempt to “protect” myself. I never truly know how to react. Thus far I’ve been winging it, just doing the best I can. I often crave listening and help from others, yet the very same concept toward others is difficult for me.

This brings me back to the question at hand: is anybody there?

How do we take all these smiles, tears, epithets, and tantrums and make them into a working global conversation? How do we enable ourselves to infiltrate our every last mode of communication with LISTENING. Listening to our parents, kids, spouses…listening to our doctors, bosses, ministers…listening to what our government officials are saying. Listening to our friends, a neighbor, the homeless person who just needs to be HEARD. I believe that only then can we makes changes, in our relationships, our government, our world.

Today at Mass, there was a reading about Samuel being called by God. His final response is what I say to my fellow human beings, regardless of consequence or past guilt in not paying attention. It’s my response, given that even the smallest of changes starts with one person beginning anew. My response is:

Speak. Your servant is listening.