Michael Amrami
Writer '18
In our contemporary society, it is undoubtedly evident that the art of listening has been impaired. Living in a technological age that creates the illusion of communication, we have been abandoning our basic evolutionary skill of listening that has driven us to our modern accomplishments. The skills involved with listening: comprehension, evaluation, and response, have been waning as a result of our illusory progressions. In a world of distraction that is ruled by dissatisfaction and selfishness, listening clearly has no place. Therefore, should our elementary skill be neglected, or must society conserve and make place for the essential vitality that listening has proven to demonstrate?
In viewing why our listening skill is essential in our present society, a common notion is made noticeable: listening means knowledge. The history of the human population has thrived under the art of listening. The development of the very first language from the African mother tongue allowed humans to express personal identity and surge new policy through communication. However, without listening there cannot be a language, which would disrupt the personal, social, and cultural identity of which we leech. The art of listening is a creative process. Without creativity, we would be lacking the world allotted to us in our present circumstance. Music, a passion driven by curiosity and established by creativity, relies on listening as an observer and as a critic. The first musical note that resonated in the ears of an audience was guided and refined by listening bias.
While it seems that the art of listening has been fading, how can one truly say that if society in its current state is filled with genius? Every day, the human mind is seen accomplishing new things and bettering the world we live in. From tech prodigy Mark Zuckerberg to extraordinary entrepreneur Elon Musk, there seems to be nothing wrong with what we have been doing. What must be understood is that it is not listening that is deteriorating, but rather the human condition towards it. The choices made each and every day of what to listen to and who to listen to has reformed throughout time. Like popular transcendental philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson illustrates, the quality of self-reliance is present in the art of listening as each individual follows his own instincts, which may relate to that of listening. Like biological theorist Charles Darwin has expressed, we selectively adapt to presented circumstances, and our idea of listening must as well. It is not that we are losing the art of listening, but rather we are abandoning its historical promise and generating new meaning in order to best suit societal norms.
Although it might feel that the world needs a new pair of ears, that is not truly the case. Although listening seems to be a lacking source in our contemporary society, shown in every aspect of society like in the rise of attention deficit disorders, it overall still endures and thrives, but clearly in a different way. As we continue to progress and change, the art of listening still guides us and we may depend on it as a source of future noteworthy achievement.
Writer '18
In our contemporary society, it is undoubtedly evident that the art of listening has been impaired. Living in a technological age that creates the illusion of communication, we have been abandoning our basic evolutionary skill of listening that has driven us to our modern accomplishments. The skills involved with listening: comprehension, evaluation, and response, have been waning as a result of our illusory progressions. In a world of distraction that is ruled by dissatisfaction and selfishness, listening clearly has no place. Therefore, should our elementary skill be neglected, or must society conserve and make place for the essential vitality that listening has proven to demonstrate?
In viewing why our listening skill is essential in our present society, a common notion is made noticeable: listening means knowledge. The history of the human population has thrived under the art of listening. The development of the very first language from the African mother tongue allowed humans to express personal identity and surge new policy through communication. However, without listening there cannot be a language, which would disrupt the personal, social, and cultural identity of which we leech. The art of listening is a creative process. Without creativity, we would be lacking the world allotted to us in our present circumstance. Music, a passion driven by curiosity and established by creativity, relies on listening as an observer and as a critic. The first musical note that resonated in the ears of an audience was guided and refined by listening bias.
While it seems that the art of listening has been fading, how can one truly say that if society in its current state is filled with genius? Every day, the human mind is seen accomplishing new things and bettering the world we live in. From tech prodigy Mark Zuckerberg to extraordinary entrepreneur Elon Musk, there seems to be nothing wrong with what we have been doing. What must be understood is that it is not listening that is deteriorating, but rather the human condition towards it. The choices made each and every day of what to listen to and who to listen to has reformed throughout time. Like popular transcendental philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson illustrates, the quality of self-reliance is present in the art of listening as each individual follows his own instincts, which may relate to that of listening. Like biological theorist Charles Darwin has expressed, we selectively adapt to presented circumstances, and our idea of listening must as well. It is not that we are losing the art of listening, but rather we are abandoning its historical promise and generating new meaning in order to best suit societal norms.
Although it might feel that the world needs a new pair of ears, that is not truly the case. Although listening seems to be a lacking source in our contemporary society, shown in every aspect of society like in the rise of attention deficit disorders, it overall still endures and thrives, but clearly in a different way. As we continue to progress and change, the art of listening still guides us and we may depend on it as a source of future noteworthy achievement.