Hearing –the attentive ear
By hearing you receive “the most important part of your knowledge”.
Hearing is the cornerstone of the Fellowship that constitutes Freemasonry. You have been told that the Grand Architect of the Universe intended by its design that you should be a social creature. You are to reciprocally communicate your thoughts, purposes and desires. In Freemasonry, you receive the most important part of your knowledge by communication with others. The Blog on The Point and the Circle goes into this in detail.
Freemasonry’s design to make you wiser, better and happier relies on your willingness to listen. This is why you were charged with a duty to converse with well informed Brethren.
How does the attentive “ear” work
The auditory system is a marvelous, complex and beautifully designed system. The “attentive ear” is one of the jewels provided to you by the Grand Architect. Following is a fascinating and informative video describing that system. It describes how the sound waves reaching your ear are processed and converted to electrical signals that your brain can recognize as sounds. Anvils, stapes and auditory cortices, among many other parts of the system, are fully explained.
If the neural processing of sound fascinates you, I would direct to The Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory. Also, the work done at MIT by Josh McDermott.
The ear was provided by the Grand Architect, but to be a jewel, you have to provide the “attentive”.
Hearing is a function-Listening is a desire.
I heard what you said, I just wasn’t listening. Have you found yourself at times on each side of that statement? Most of us have. As frustrating as it is to be the speaker, it is far more harmful to be the non-listener. By far the most important videos in this section on hearing are the two dealing with listening. Watching them will instill a new appreciation for the importance of the word “attentive”. They will also provide you ways to improve your listening skills.
I just had to get that off my chest.
Your fellow Freemasons stand ready to allow you to do just that. In turn, they expect you to be willing to allow them to do the same. This is one of the core reasons that “breast to breast” is one of the five points of fellowship. Nothing builds a sense of fellowship faster than open communication between caring, concerned interested Brothers. Freemasonry is designed to provide you with just that.
You do not have to agree with everything they say and they do not have to agree with everything you say. To be open with each other, both you and the other Brother have to be non-judgmental.
Minimize distractions
One of the speakers makes a point of minimizing both internal and external distractions. Focus on the speaker and what is being said, not how you plan to respond or other things going on around you or in your mind.
You appear brighter when you listen and are a more effective leader
People who are willing to listen to what you say are obviously smarter than those who refuse to. They feel the same way. Combine the listening skills in this section, with the speaking skills in the section on Rhetoric and you have the makings of effective leadership.
Apply these skills in Lodge.
Think about how this skill can improve discussions and debates in your Lodge. How many times have you have heard the lectures, but did not listen to their meaning? Each was a wasted opportunity to improve yourself in Masonry. Use this skills to listen attentively and consider how each lecture can improve your life.
The two speakers
The first video on active listening features an improv performer and the second a professor who is a mediation expert. They each approach the importance of listening from a different perspective. But the skills and conclusions of each overlap.