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“Our everyday life — not the supreme moment of a second, but everyday life — is this act of imparting, listening, and understanding. And for most of us, listening is one of the most difficult things to do. It is a great art, far greater than any other art. We hardly ever listen because most of us are so occupied with our own problems, with our own ideas, opinions — the everlasting chattering of one's own inadequacies, fancies, myths, and ambitions. One hardly ever pays attention, not only to what another says but to the birds, to the sunset, to the reflection on the water. One hardly ever sees or listens. And if one knows how to listen — which demands an astonishing energy — then in that act of listening there is complete communion; the words, the significance of words, and the construction of words have very little meaning. So, you and the speaker have completely to share in the truth or in the falseness of what is being said. For most of us, it is a very difficult act to listen; but