Don

I enjoy your posts, as I enjoy those posts of ][<en's which explore thoughts and thinking processes.  It is refreshing to be made to slow down and ponder the thoughts, particularly since our work environments seem to be trying to emulate those racetracks everybody is discussing at present.

I sometimes wonder whether this art of listening (with it's companion art of talking) is something which is being forced into the background.  I remember as an undergraduate spending Sunday evenings sitting around the dining table with the family of the elderly woman I boarded with, where we would discuss all manner of things relating to the areas we were collectively involved in.  These ranged through politics (her daughter was a Member of Parliament) through the arts and the environment (her grand-daughter was heavily involved in the conservation movement) to economics and architecture.  And then there were the nights when we just talked about how people interacted with other people.

These days, when I go to dinner with people, conversations seem so often to involve stories which show that the teller has 'been there, done that', and which rarely lead to discussion.  Of course, perhaps this is a reflection on the quality of my listening skills, and therefore I am seeing a biased sample!!

If it is the latter, then please tell me so that I can continue looking for conversations which actually teach me something.  Even if all that I learn is humility.

Cheers

david

(time to get on with work on the last day before a 5 day break for Easter & Anzac Day public holidays)