A Form of Spiritual Hospitality

This past Thursday my husband and I went downtown to hear NPR's commentator Diane Rehm who was in Arkansas for a brief presentation. Her subject was one that reflects her example each day on her nationally syndicated radio show: listening carefully to the arguments and narratives of others even though there might be some disagreement. She reminded the audience that, just as the slogan "Reading is Fundamental" was popular for a number of years, another good slogan might be "Listening is Fundamental." She said, "Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality." Unfortunately, I have always been someone who, to paraphrase Shakespeare's words about Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, will say more in a minute than I will listen to in a month. Diane reminded me though of the importance of listening.

I think part of the problem is that Southern women have generally been raised to be young Scarlets who are continually flirting with their Ashleys and telling stories to entertain others. When not telling their own stories, they are interrupting another story teller with rather superfluous questions and comments such as, "Did you say she had on hot pink shoes? I wonder where she bought them around here." We have always believed talking is the virtue, not listening.

Diane, of course, interviews a number of authors each week on her show as well as a number of politicians and representatives of the media. These guests typically have opposing viewpoints. The only way that progress toward compromise can be made is to listen to the other's positions with respect. What typically happens, however, in our day-to-day discourse is that we surround ourselves with people just like us, and we reinforce our views, not change them. If we can remind ourselves that listening can be a form of spiritual hospitality, perhaps--just then--we can truly begin to have a conversation.