Sometimes I Think I Listen Best With My Eyes

 

Maybe I've just got too much pandemic-induced free time on my hands.  Seemingly out of nowhere, at dinner last evening I asked my wife if she listened better by hearing something or reading it.  After taking my temperature, pulse and blood pressure readings and asking if I was having a mini-stroke, which I was not, she asked what was going on in my mind.  To which I responded, actually sometimes I think I listen best with my eyes.

At the most basic human level, of course, we all listen/learn/understand/comprehend the world about us through our five senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing.  I am not talking about tasting, smelling or touching, which while important are of much more limited scope than sight and hearing in terms of interpersonal communication and relationships or understanding the meaning of information being conveyed among and between human beings.

Who cares? I care, not because I can write about it but rather because it is important to me to understand how I best take in important information such that I understand its meaning and significance, which generally leads me to remember the information for a long time. On the flip side, if I know how another individual best listens/learns/understands/comprehends it will be valuable in helping me determine the most effective way to communicate with that person to achieve my objectives. 

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