Listening With Closed Ears and Back Turned

lis·ten

ˈlis(ə)n/

verb

1. 1. 

   give one's attention to a sound.

   "evidently he was not listening"

   synonyms:

   hear, pay attention, be attentive, attend, concentrate; More

This is a basic elementary word that we can all relate to when running around the classroom causing chaos, or dodging our parents because our rooms are destroyed, or simply having the burst and bees talk. We have all "listened" more than thousands of times in our lives. We have all had to listen to a gut-wrenching teacher discuss the civil war the third time around , or a friend debating on breaking up with her boyfriend over the look he gave another girl in science class. But are we really listening? Like stated above it is to give one's attention to a sound. A sound can be a voice rolling off a tongue, the car crash, the sound of love, the sound of hate; I can go on and on and on, but we all know what it means to LISTEN, so why don't we do it? 

The world is in chaos, our world is in chaos, and we aren't doing anything about it Including myself. We must listen in order to care. I do not know the last time I turned on the News, but have looked on Face book for my daily stories of what is going on around me. I listen in class to the many opinions that stem from many different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. I listen to Trump making yet another crazy accusation about Muslims, Foreigners, in fact anyone other than white descent. I have listened to family debate about Gay Marriage, Schooling, and the tech world taking over.I have no problem listening because I get more out of listening rather than talking. I soak it all in and then interpret it on my own. 

I am attentive, pay attention, and hear the many sounds that are going on around me, but i DO NOT THINK  WE ARE  listening at our full capacity. We are not paying full attention to each other, but instead walking past crimes on the daily, sexual assault on the daily,and  just plain ignorance on the daily and doing absolutely doing nothing about it. We can't listen with closed ears and backs turned. It is a metaphor. Our backs our not literally standing away, but we are hearing opinions with evidence and nodding like we care, or heard what was said. Listening and Listening are two different things. The world will be such better place if we just listen to each other, just give each other the time of day, or just give each other time to suggest something new. 

In order for the world to make a change we must LISTEN, and then can have a response. We have to listen to learn, and knowledge is power. Knowing more about the top fashion news, or Kardashian update isn't enough rather then bombings around the world or the substantial amount of shootings in Chicago.  Listening is the first step and I think I am ready to take the step. Listen to yourself before listening to others. Listen to yourself and then take a stand. #TakeAStand 

That is a hash tag my group members and I in Advanced Composition have created for our class and hopefully for others.