Ear It Is!
By Aurora Bluemoon
The little stretches and bends of our hands and legs can instantly refresh our body. In the same way, the right kind of mental exercise keeps our brain active, alert, and ready to grow. Mental exercises aren’t always about complex calculations or memorising heavy textbooks — they can be as simple and profound as meditation or learning new skills or solving a puzzle that sparks the brain.
As the saying goes, “You are what you eat,” — a thought I explore deeply in my book Subtraction: Mind Minimalism (see the chapter Mind Feast). Just like the food we consume shapes our body, the thoughts, beliefs, and words we consume too shape our mind and personality.
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing (LSRW)- We consider language acquisition and communication skills, focusing on speaking and writing. Yet the foundation of all communication is LISTENING. Listening is more than just hearing sounds — it’s an act of filtering, processing, and transforming sound into understanding and action.
Exteroception in simple terms is Five Senses, as each senses are associated with each organ, our humble ears are associated with hearing sense which is listening. Our ears are made of cartilage and bone, and do so much more than holding our spectacles, AirPods, or earrings - they connect us to the world.
Through our ears, we listen to stories, lessons, music, instruction, information, guidance and much more. This thought takes me to wonder that it might be the echoes being the core idea for tuning radio frequencies using a transmitter, to the invention of Radio.
Radio's contribution to human history is more than just entertainment, but education too. But in today’s world, where information is limitless and often overwhelming, what we hear can make or break our peace of mind. Not everything we hear becomes useful information — the brain needs to filter what is valuable and discard the noise. Once the noise has been silenced then we start to hear the voice of our inner self.
To look back in the timeline, the source of information was limited from the teacher to the library and then comes the radio and television. But today's era is the explosion of digital platforms, and AI has been creating more and more Influencers than Implementers. Anyone can speak; only few can inspire. Anyone can post; only a few can truly guide with selflessness. We all wish to go viral; the real question is, are we stepping into what's vital?
That’s why we must consciously decide WHAT we allow our ears to absorb. The mind is a fertile ground — everything we feed into it takes root in some form. If we don’t guard our ears, we end up feeding our brains clutter, noise, and confusion.
So, how do we keep the mind calm and clear? It begins with Listening Mindfully. We must learn to listen to what we need, not just what we want. Good listening is like a sieve — it keeps the gold and lets the sand slip through.
Now, the question comes to your mind: how do we differentiate between the needed and the unnecessary, the good and the harmful? Mindful or Mind-Full?
A million-dollar worth question it is, yet the answer lies in awareness. When the mind is calm, it intuitively knows what to hold onto and what to reject in the labyrinth of the ear rather than carry it further for processing to brain, which in turn act as our narrator either through overthinking or through our nightmares. As it is not the direct process, it's more like a loop or a circle. To cultivate the calmness in my mind, we need to tune out the noise that drains us - gossip, negativity, excessive thinking and meaningless chatter both offline and online.
Then what to tune in? Let's tune into words that uplift our soul, like lessons, good ideas, and stories (the actual fact rather than individual's perspectives) that help us to grow. We need to practice SILENCE every day with no loads of information, especially from social media, for at least 42 minutes. Let our ears rest, practising mindfulness will help our minds find their balance.
Ear it is, let me oil your ears with drops,
I wonder it your ears have grown any crops,
However much I shout it is just inaudible,
Any subscription to signup for such an audible?
Lubricant your ears with garlic or gratitude,
Might weed off some of your attitude,
Echoes of kindness, always whispers low,
Only Ears speaks to us to stay and grow.
In the end, mind our mind. Listen wisely, live mindfully. And watch how our world transforms... One Word At A Time...
👉From the book, Aural Alchemy: The Art of Active Listening by Aurora Bluemoon (Writing In Process)
This post is a part of ‘Real and Rhythm Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters blog hop series
Your metaphor of ears being the gateway to our very inner world really connected with me especially the idea of filtering out noise so we can hear the voice of our inner self. The way you tied in the evolution from radio to today's digital explosion made the argument feel fresh and grounded.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much mam
DeleteIndeed what we absorb into our psyche / consciousness matters much. Your allegory of we become what we eat is apt. We become what we think!
ReplyDeleteAgreed sir. Thanks for your comment
DeleteYour way with words here is so delicate — I love how you listen to silence, letting every whisper become its own story. This piece feels like a gentle echo, and I carried it with me long after reading.
ReplyDeletethank you so much
DeleteSo true. We are what we eat. And the foundation to all communication is indeed listening. But, who's going to explain it to people who just talk and don't listen?
ReplyDeleteWe need to silence ourselves regularly. But what is the principle behind 42 minutes? I like days without voice, just me and the sounds around me.
ReplyDeleteWow your writing is wonderful. Listening to silence feels a distinct memory. There's always some noise or podcast or series. Such a fresh read!
ReplyDeleteYour post raises an important point. There is so much noise that we have forgotten how to listen.
ReplyDeleteListening to silence is the best way to calm ourselves and the chaos around us.
Your words are a gentle reminder to slow down and listen with intention. I loved how you connected the senses, the mind, and the noise of today’s world. The contrast between tuning out the clutter and tuning into what nourishes us feels so timely. Your poetic lines about the ears made me smile — simple, thoughtful, and so true. Thank you for this beautiful nudge toward mindful listening.
ReplyDeleteThis post has been a reminder to me to silent the outer and inner chaos to feel the calm within. Thanks for writing this. - Swarnali Nath
ReplyDeleteThat poem was a delightful read. And I especially liked this line: Anyone can speak; only few can inspire. We have truly lost the art of listening, to just listen and not respond.
ReplyDeleteCongratulatuons on the book. The excerpt and the poem are beautiful. Very well pointed that we consume is what hones us internally and makes us shine. Silence from SM and even humans arounds us, is what I consciously practice.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely poem and such an informative read. This is so true , a break from social media is a necessity in today's world. I loved reading your blog post.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very informative post. In today's chaotic world, we are overexposed to a vast amount of information that can be overwhelming. A mindful approach will enable us to get the best out of it.
ReplyDeleteSuch a thoughtful reminder. True listening takes patience and a calm mind, which we often lose in the rush of daily life. These days we respond faster than we actually listen!
ReplyDeleteListening is critical. Rather, filtering off the unnecessary and only absorbing that which is golden. Feeding our mind positively is as essential as giving the body only healthy, nutritious, food. Good reminder to transcend hearing and get to listening!
ReplyDeleteIn this era of constant visual and auditory stimulations, the art of listening is much appreciated.My takeaway is to learn to sit in silence for 42 mins ( maybe that will be tough ) but I can try.
ReplyDeleteThe first step to clearing the mind is to not hear anything bad. Ignore the sounds that don't help you grow. Nice article.
ReplyDeleteWe are all using mouth more than ears and hence your post comes as a reminder, an eye opener. Love your analogy of making ears a way to inner peace and solitude.
ReplyDeleteI always believe listening is an art and people should practice it more. It is indeed the foundation of communication and learning. Loved the poem- it's witty, sharp, and contemplative.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your book! Listening to what is relevant is so important. Listening wisely, living mindfully, is good advice. We are, indeed, what we hear, and the less we let noise and chaos into our minds, the more at peace we will be. Loved your poem!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, we all need to listen more and be mindful of what we are listening to, especially at a time of tech overload. Isn't that the reason we have 2 ears and 1 mouth? Talk less, listen more?
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful reminder to slow down and listen more. I love the metaphor of our ears being the gatekeepers of what nourishes our mind
ReplyDeleteListening is an underrated and often ignored skill. Few have the patience for it and with the current onslaught on our ears through different apps it gets even more difficult. Mindful hearing must be learned to avoid it.
ReplyDeleteIts nice reading something very refreshing and new. Listening is one of the most underappreciated skills and I am glad you chose to write on it.
ReplyDeletenice. an interesting observation about hearing and the ear. Loved that.
ReplyDeleteSuch an insightful piece of writing. You've made some valid and thoughtful points; we don't really think about it, no? Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete