I came across this passage on the subject of listening, and would very much like to share, for all interested.

"When I ask you to listen to me,

And you start giving me advice,

you have not done what I asked,

When I ask that you listen to me,

And you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,

You are trampling on my feelings,

When I ask you to listen to me,

And you feel you have to do something to solve my problems,

You have failed me, strange as that may seem.

Listen: All that I ask is that you listen,

Not talk or do--just hear me.

When you do something for me

That I need to do for myself,

You contribute to my fear and feelings of inadequacy.

But when you accept as a simple fact

That I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational,

Then I can quit trying to convince you

And go about the business

Of understanding what's behind my feelings.

So, please listen and just hear me

And, if you want to talk

Wait a minute for your turn

And I'll listen to you."

~St.Louis Post-Dispatch, Sept. 19, 1998, P.D3.

It's important to have our feelings validated. Often times it seems our society forgets this fact. Maybe it's due to the way we live our lives or how the media or our leaders and elders tell us to behave, but it doesn't change the fact that we need this validation.

Often times there is no better way to do this, than to sit and lend an ear to a dear friend, letting them tell you how they feel uninterrupted.