I finished reading Siddhartha the other day, and I really liked it. I haven’t read all that often for the past few years, but I enjoyed reading this book. Although there were many themes, one of them that really stuck with me was “learn to listen”. At one point in the book, Siddhartha once again meets a ferryman he had met earlier in his life. This man explains to Siddhartha that a lot can be learned from listening, not only to people, but also to your surroundings and environment. Siddhartha tells him of his story, and the ferryman listens. He doesn’t say anything until Siddhartha finishes. In the book, it says that Siddhartha is pleased by the ferryman’s ability to listen so intently. Listening doesn’t only benefit yourself, but it can benefit others as well. This message can be applied to modern life today. Everyone’s on their phone all the time (including myself) and not enjoying the moment. As we’re caught up in a whirlwind of activities or distractions it’s difficult to slow down. One of the main distractions nowadays is electronics and social media. Don’t get me wrong, I love social media and I use it a lot, but I’ve noticed that the fact that I “use it a lot” inhibits my ability to pay attention and listen to others as much as I’m able to. There’s so much you can learn from listening. If you don’t want to learn anything, you can always get a good story out of your grandparents or parents. I’m sure there’s someone out there that would love for someone to listen to their stories. I recently learned of the word “sonder”, which describes the realization that everyone has a life just as complex as yours. I linked a video below that explains it. I’m sure that you have many stories that you could tell, why not talk with someone and listen to each other’s stories?