For illustration purpose only. - Pic credit to pixabay.com
For illustration purpose only. - Pic credit to pixabay.com

LETTERS:

It is a sad fact that in this fast-paced life, people simply don't have the time to do that, more so to a person in desperate need of someone to confide in.

I would like to pinpoint that the root cause of mental health issues or psychological disorders is, to a certain extent, due to people having no one to fall back to in time of need. Loneliness kills silently. There are many a great orator in this world, the likes of Martin Luther King Jr and Barack Obama, who were bestowed with the gift of the gab to thrill and mesmerise the masses with their eloquent speeches.

To appreciate their oratory talent, there needs to be listeners. Great orators are the glamour boys as they are in the limelight all the while, receiving thunderous applause on each occasion for their oratory skills.

The listeners are the backroom stage ones as what they do is just to pay attention and absorb all the different sound waves passing through to their ears.

Listening, unlike orating, is a skill that sadly is missing in most people nowadays. Many don't pay much heed to it. Many prefer to talk rather than to listen. Even when some aunties get together, the same takes place. Each won't be listening to the other. Each would be more interested in narrating their own story.

Gone are the days when people listened to the airwaves from the radio. With the advent of television, people, in general, gradually did less listening as the lure of watching television was the happening thing at that time.

In the modern age of sophisticated technology, Internet, Wifi, Tweeter, Instagram and smart phones, listening takes a backseat. Children nowadays don't want to listen to what their parents have to impart to them, no matter how invaluable it may be.

On the contrary, they would spend through their noses to listen to talks given by motivators when, in reality, the greatest gurus and mantras could be just a call away — their parents, siblings and mentors — all at no cost and with abundance of love.

Just as the best way to learn and improve in a game is by watching others play, the best way to gain knowledge and wisdom is via the power of listening, which only needs a little bit of patience and focus.

THIAGARAJAN MATHIAPARANAM

Klang, Selangor


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times