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Today's
Meditation:
Some people think that people who don't talk much
don't have much worthwhile to say. Sometimes, I'm
sure, this is the case. In my experience, though,
I've found that the people who talk a great deal tend to
have the least to say, while those who talk less also know
the value of silence because they're truly listening to
others who are speaking.
I've been disappointed as I've grown older to find that
many people aren't interested in learning more as they
grow older. Many people actually stop listening to
others because they're so attached to their own beliefs as
to what is right and wrong that they aren't willing to
learn from others about many of the important things that
still remain to be learned. My personal goal is to
continue learning until the day I die, because I never
know when I'm going to learn more things that make me
happy and allow me to enjoy life more.
The people who speak less, it seems, often are the people
who speak only when it seems important to do so.
They don't speak just to hear themselves speak, but to
relate something important to others. And because
they speak less than others, they are able to spend time
listening and thinking about what they hear rather than
just trying to come up with something else to say.
I think an apt analogy is the difference between sap and
syrup. A person who talks a lot is like sap-- you can
get tons of it from a tree, but it has little value and
little flavor. And it can take more than 40 gallons of
maple sap
to produce one gallon of syrup, which has been distilled
and processed to become something wonderful. People
who talk little are those who have listened to those who
talk much and have taken just the good stuff to give us
some very valuable syrup.
There are people who talk a lot who have some great things
to say, of course. But I'll follow Germain's advice
here and pay closer attention when I hear the words of
someone who doesn't speak an awful lot, for in the fewer
words I believe I'll find the greater treasure.
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