I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.
---Ernest Hemingway
In spite of my high school English class experiences practically ruining it all for me, I later came to read most of Ernest Hemingway's classic novels, among them For Whom the Bell Tolls being my favorite. I especially appreciated his stated plain writing style, avoiding fancy and cryptic techniques employed by some of his contemporaries that often garnered them undeserved critical acclaim but made their works largely unreadable by the general public. Today being his birthday, I thought I'd throw in one of Hemingway's quotes in celebration, and this one rang true to me...well, mostly true. I think most folks, when engaged with others in conversation, are only half-listening, at the same time preparing the next thing they will say themselves. On top of that, people tend to hold on to personal narratives concerning just about any person, place, thing, or issue. They will be happy to "listen" for a while if the speaker is affirming that narrative and be equally happy to zone out or cut them off if they diverge from the script...and if the message is a mixed one, with some welcome information said along with some unwelcome facts, then it's a simple cognitive sleight of hand to accept the affirming stuff while ignoring the rest. I can extend this all to reading, too, as well as whatever media channels one tends to prefer plugging their respective brains into. If the message affirms a dearly held narrative belief system, regardless of reality, then they'll be a loyal audience...this is the world we live in today, where the population insulates themselves within comfortable belief bubbles where feedback loops reenforce distortions and lies as long as they fit the pattern. Yet Hemingway died in 1962, so this sort of thing's long preceded the Internet and mass media manipulation tactics of today...
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