Part 1: Summary
The article ‘Listening, caring, becoming: Anarchism as an ethics of direct relationships’ by Heckert Jamie takes us through what he believes are the true principles of establishing meaningful relationships. The author uses one of the most controversial words in politics to bring about his point. Anarchy, which signifies disorganisations in politics, has been used to describe how the principle can be used to listen and care for the needs of others. The fact that anarchy is all about not doing this and that gives an individual to listen to their hearts and engage in what they feel is right rather than following the set guidelines. Jamie therefore, emphasises on the need of listening to oneself before pretending to listen to others. It is unfortunate that most people who think are speaking for others by listening to them do not first take time to listen to themselves.
True authority and freedom comes from knowing that each person has unique abilities and desires. By listening to others, it implies that you have listened to yourself and understand that what you may be feeling concerning a particular issue is not necessarily, how the other person feels about it. Demanding things to be done in a particular way is hence denying somebody else the opportunity to be themselves by expressing their feelings. Living together and building meaningful relationships require that we appreciate the adversity in ourselves. This therefore mean, if I feel the need of engaging a certain person in by business, I should allow them do what they can without my interference (Heckert 205). If I feel they are not doing the right thing, then it implies that I know how to do it more than they do, hence rendering their services meaningless. By listening to oneself in order to listen to others, Jamie recommends a personal search and perfection in one’s area of expertise and allows others to do the same.
Part 2
Listening is an important aspect of communication that has unfortunately been ignored by many. Most people who pretend to listen do not do it because they want to agree, but rather to disapprove. Most people have developed an attitude that implies that they have the most reasonable pints and solutions to problem; they will therefore listen to others for the main reason of looking for a loophole where they will disapprove them. Relationships form a basic form of our society and have the ability to make or break them. The society would be a better place, if we did more of the listening part and less of the talking. There is a reason why we were given two ears that are always open and alert even at night, and one mouth that can be closed at will. This hence implies that we can still live happy lives if we chose only to listen rather than talking. When a person takes the time to listen to their hearts, they will realise many unfulfilled needs and desires. Moments of silence and reflection makes an individual to look at their faults and weaknesses and hence working at improving them. Individuals who listen to themselves are also able to realise their deficiencies and hence being open to people who will cover, or supplement them.
For instance, it is only during private moments of reflection that a person will ask themselves why there are males and females in the world (Heckert 196). This will also make them understand why we are not all engineers, teachers, politicians, architects and even journalists. Thinking in such lines makes a person realise that there is none more superior than the other. Just because one is good at farming and the other good at flying an aeroplane does not make the pilot superior to the farmer. These two people were endowed with different capabilities and opportunities that are meant to complement each other. This is because the farmer will need the pilot to eat his produce or even transport it. On the other hand, the pilot will need the farmer to ensure a constant supply to his energy and health needs. We are however living in a society full of discrimination because people feel they are more important and should therefore be listened to (Heckert 194). Learning to listen is a deliberate choice of minding ones business as well as letting others mind their own. Complement where you can and do not criticize without taking the action of correcting the mess.
The fact is that we all have the ability to change our society without necessarily looking for an audience to listen to manifestos and the likes. A person who has the conviction of making changes will not even need to act; he or she will let actions speak to themselves as they listen to their hearts. When an individual person takes such action, others will be inspired and even follow suit. If leaders were chosen by their actions rather than their words, the world would have lesser issues. We would in fact have no people on authority but a mass of people who know and understand what needs to be done and implementing it without necessarily demanding to be heard. Such people listen to the convictions of their hearts and the needs of the people that surround them and therefore bringing about the most needed change.
Works cited
Heckert, Jamie. "Listening, caring, becoming: Anarchism as an ethics of direct relationships." (2010).
