By: Jean Kimberly Delos Santos Dayao, PHINMA UPang Big Sister
“Am I truly listening?”. I always keep this in mind whenever I start talking to other people, most especially at times when they need someone to listen to their rants and problems, someone who they can lean on, and someone who can give comfort to them.
In reality, oftentimes, we focus too much on ourselves, and that’s never a bad thing. But we forget that others may also need help. Empathy has been undervalued over the past years, and I think this is what we should try to be learning and giving. Offering help does not automatically equate to lending money, food, or anything tangible. Sometimes, the world just needs ears that can genuinely listen, understand, and relate to one another.
I realized, sometimes we assume that listening to someone’s problem is already enough for them to feel comfortable or feel fine, but we are missing out on the true meaning of genuine listening which is having to relate and fit ourselves into someone’s shoes, asking ourselves, “What if I am in his/her situation?”, “What kind of words or actions do I want to hear from other people?” or “What can I do to make this person better without involving myself and offending him/her in any way?”.
The world is a scary place, let’s be more gentle. Sometimes, people are going through something we know nothing about. Be kinder, be understanding, be a person the world needs.