“MOST PEOPLE DO NOT LISTEN WITH THE INTENT TO UNDERSTAND; THEY LISTEN WITH THE INTENT TO REPLY.”

– STEPHEN R. COVEY

Often, the most dominant voice in a room is the person who is the loudest. It is a dysfunctional way to dialogue and build relationships with others. One of the greatest gifts that we can offer to another person is to listen. By listening, we can understand our similarities and give space to the diverse experiences of others in their own words.

In First Nations communities across the Northern Territory, there is a practice of deep listening, an almost spiritual skill, based on respect. Referred to as dadirri, it means an inner deep listening and quiet still awareness and waiting. The word, concept, and spiritual practice of dadirri comes from the Ngan’gikurunggurr and Ngen’giwumirri languages of the Aboriginal peoples of the Daly River region. One of Australia’s most prominent educators and elders, Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann AM, has led the way in helping us understand its gift, “Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. The contemplative way of dadirri spreads over our whole life. It renews us and brings us peace. It makes us feel whole again. There are deep springs within each of us. Within this deep spring, which is the very Spirit of God, is a sound. The sound of Deep calling to Deep. The sound is the word of God – Jesus.”

In recent history, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have invited the entire Australian community to consider these same elements of listening, attentiveness, and advocacy in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It is first and foremost an invitation. To hear and to talk. To listen to the story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people who have experienced significant changes and trauma in the last two hundred years, but who also desire to share over 60,000 years of stories, culture, and spiritual connection.

By listening to each other, we acknowledge the inherent dignity of each person, a core element of our Catholic tradition. Acknowledging the personhood of the person in front of you is a simple and profound act of empathy. In the mission of the Society, we are invited to truly see the totality of a person. In the work of the Society, we are called to accompany people who may be experiencing a loss of control and power in their lives. They may find it difficult to speak and to be heard.

The Rule invites us to be a voice for the voiceless, “The Society helps the poor and disadvantaged speak for themselves. When they cannot, the Society must speak on behalf of those who are ignored.” Advocacy must always be accompanied by solidarity. To be a representative of those who are experiencing a loss of power or an inability to be heard, there must be a relationship of equity, authenticity, and deep listening. If there isn’t this relationship, you are simply perpetuating the same structures of condescension and powerlessness that keep people oppressed. In the end, a listening ear can be more powerful than a thunderous voice. May you hear what needs to be heard.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• Describe an experience where you are felt truly listened to.
• What does being a voice for others mean to you?

From: Firewood for the soul, vol. 2, A Reflexion Book for the Whole Vincentian Family
St. Vincent de Paul Society, Queensland, Australia.
Text by: Samantha Hill and James Hodge.