Listen First
“Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” Prov 18:13
Surely none of us has ever experienced someone answering a matter before he or she hears it out… Were that true, surely none of us has been on social media, at a college, or have dealt with humans at all!
Some folks desire so much to be heard that they cannot help but comment on something before waiting to hear all the facts. Sometimes this comes in the form of half-hearted listening as the listener prepares the next statement or response instead of actively trying to understand.
We can all probably think of situations where we, or someone we’ve observed has responded to something before the full story has been told. Sometimes the presupposing person is accurate in guessing where something is going and can finish the thoughts of others, but all too often, things are and important bits of information are missed. In eagerness to finish the thought and move on to the next one, Mr./Mrs. Jump-The-Gun may have to wait and have the person finish explaining the thought after his/her response did not fit the intent of what was said.
On the interwebs, we can find endless examples of people that do not “listen” or care to hear out a full matter before contributing or responding, but rather spout off things they have been told or react emotionally despite what is being said. This is foolishness. In conversation, when we spout off our own opinions and thoughts before hearing something out fully is shameful and disrespectful.
While sometimes we can grow weary of listening to ALL OF THE facts some people wish to disclose. But this is a key part of communicating, and there is a sense of decency and wisdom in waiting to gather all the information about something before putting our two cents in!
