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B Jones's avatar

I feel this 100%. I’ve honestly thought to myself many times “why is it so hard for me to listen” in the past year, and wondering if going sober somehow made me aware of an undiagnosed attention disorder. I think we are in a near constant state of sensory and data overstimulation that is making it harder to self-regulate and engage, especially in auditory content like a verbal conversation. Even as listening becomes harder, however, there is a thirst to listen and to feel the immediacy and weight of a conversation in a world in which our physical presence is heavily intermediated by phones, AirPods, and other devices. Readership also feels like hospitality, and somehow feels more manageable in this world of constant distraction. The act of reading lets us give honor to the thought in full. I may get distracted 1-2 sentences into a verbal discussion about a trip to India, but I would read a 10,000 word Substack about it. Maybe in this imperfect world of noise and distraction readership is the space we can hold for each other.

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Isabella Madrid Malo's avatar

Listening is one of the biggest social services you can provide for society. We respond, always. Letting words flow and go is a beautiful skill to have :-)

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