Director's Take

Listening

06-07-2023

Dear friend of Downtown,

I was listening to my favorite podcast recently, where one of the guests mentioned that America could do some better listening. It really got me thinking. We sure do talk *at* each other a lot – and not just through the various technological mediums we use to communicate, but also through our attitudes in how we tell our opinions or repeat things we’ve heard.

I feel like we’ve become brick walls with a door we open on occasion to emphasize our side of an issue or point the finger… and then slam that door shut. Rather, I’d like more of us to have a screened porch where we can also take in information that is new to us or doesn’t match exactly what we’ve always been told. I have to wonder if we all are at least a little guilty of this. I sure am.

It’s ironic as the melting pot of the world, that we have trouble moving past only seeing each other’s differences. We all come from different family upbringings, cultural traditions and values, and in short, the ways we see the world. So how do we slow down to hear what is important to others? Why are we so quick to anger when something doesn’t match our way of thinking or what we want to hear?

For such a young country, it’s scary to me that we have become so divided and full of such anger and hate. These aren’t small issues…  and I promise I will continue to do my part. Downtown is the best local melting pot and I have no doubt that more LISTENING and less TALKING is a start.

See you on the streets soon.