From the Archives - Listen ( July 04)

Hi Folks
All of you are aware that I used to write in my own created Rane Newsletter a column, which I called Points to ponder and later gave it the name "MOVE". I am not able to get all these pieces but have managed to get hard copies of some. It has been my desire to get them all in "jignyaasaa" and now that the codification of the blog is "more or less over", I would start this process in right earnest. The problems I face would be (a) I will need to type these pages once again and (b) being old there will be this temptation to edit/modify/improve them. All these would not be fair methinks. The evolution from then to today has to be seen, if at all. Or quite likely, the earlier pieces were better, than what I am able to dish out today. For both these reasons these have to be reproduced "as they had appeared". Here I go :

" One of the most frequently misintrepreted "word" one hears from the bosses, whenever interrupted, is "listen". It is also a major piece of advice given by HR personnel. These apparently are based primarily on two assumptions
(a) When some one interrupts, he/she is not obviously listening
(b) The word"listen" is an active verb.

Both these assumptions to my mind, are fundamentally flawed.....The mere fact that some one interrupts, is by itself an evidence that one is listening, and is either confused, or excited enough to respond. ( If you are not confused, you are not paying attention - a Tom Peters Quote). The word "listen" itself is only a passive verb, and hence it is quite difficult to avoid listening, when spoken to.

God has created two distinctly different organs, one for "listening" and the other for "speaking". If one were to assume that only one function can be legitimately permitted to be used at a time, there is indeed no need for the two organs to start with.

It is indeed a tremondous relief that God has not re-invented Himself, as a modern day R&D man who may just decide that one organ is enough (to cut costs) or introduce a poke-yoke, by which when one of the functions is in operation, the other ceases to function.......

The moral: Use the word "listen" judiciously lest any conversation ends more as a monologue, than a dialogue."

PS. On the Gandhi Jayanthi, this seems to be a good begining, for the retrieval and posting of my pieces from the archives. Happy(?) reading folks.

Love, Vichu