What if your understanding is in the hands of your teacher?

Then everyone would-be performers and lose the glory due to more masses.

And that imbalances won’t happen. So, it’s all in your hands.

Why do I have to dedicate a blog post for that? — Because many are selective listeners. So, many understand what they want to understand but not the actual message.

Shall I remind you of one well-known story?

Counsellor and Prisoners

Once a jailor asks a counsellor to visit their prison to counsel the prisoners to reduce the crime rate. And they found out that alcohol is the main reason for their behaviour. So, he understood that he had to make them quit drinking.

He conducted a thought experiment where the counsellor put flies into a glass of alcohol and a glass of water. The flies in alcohol glass died where the flies in water glass are alive.

The counsellor wants to convey that when we drink alcohol, the same happens in our bodies. On being asked what they understood, the prisoners responded the other way.

They said, “when we drink alcohol, it kills worms in the body as well.” It is due to selective listening.

Have you ever noticed that when you communicate with some people, they interpret other than what you wanted to convey?

Do you know the reason? — Highly intellectual might be one of the reasons. Our education system is in such a way that “the more educated people become, the more closed they are becoming.”

It is because of having a fixed mind. Due to this, the people won’t be willing to unlearn. And if you don’t unlearn, you always see things with your lens. Viewing with a lens means listening selectively.

Unfortunately, you use selective listening to avoid taking action. Or to take action in the wrong direction.

Why They Say Innocence on Fire is Better than Knowledge on Ice

A story came to my mind just now. However, I don’t want to overwhelm you with different tales in a single post. Let’s get to the baseline of the story.

It is about an innocent brahmin who pleases Lord SriRama. His guru told him to worship Lord SriRama and feed him prasad and have his food post that.

The brahmin took the words of his master seriously and thought that Lord SriRama would come definitely and have food. With this mission, he decided to make it at any cost. And it happens.

However, his master won’t believe his words. The reason is, he thought, “it is impossible to meet God and offer food directly.”

As the brahmin is innocent, he has done everything to achieve his goal. As a result, he accomplished the objective in his mind.

If we relate it to our life when we are on any mission, even when we get the help we seek, we won’t take action with 100% belief. You know what to do, but your intelligence stops you from accepting the directions and stay inactive.

You always think there must be a better way, and you know better than them. So, even when listening, you listen with an occupied mind. And listen selectively.

So it is always better to be a performer driven by ignorance than an underperformer because of intellect.

What’s the catch?

How do you think you can stop being a selective listener?

1. Forget everything you know when listening.
2. Accept that you don’t know everything. Then you will empty your mind when listening.
3. Don’t react! It will prevent you from perceiving the truth.
4. But respond. — Responding means speaking only after listening completely.
5. Then you will master the skill of understanding others. As you should learn it and none can teach it to you.

What do you think? Do let me know by commenting below. It would mean the world to me.