Aphoristically Yours
Friend,
You know more than I
So I’d rather listen
If you want to hear from me
That’s all right, too
Some would say
And they are wise
This is the definition of
A friendship
Some might say
It is a paradox
There would be too much silence
For the talking
Well, embrace the contrary
If everyone is listening
There might be fewer words
But greater truth
Prevail
C L Couch
Photo by Trung Thanh on Unsplash
clcouch123 
July 6, 2020 at 7:08 pm
Communication is a strange sort of thing. Animals have broken it down to the bare essentials, so everyone knows exactly what was said and how to react. We have maybe gone too far the other way with the demagogues who spout and the undiscriminating who listen without criticising, the people who talk because it’s an obsession, those who listen because they’re too shy to butt in. If we all listened, yes. But I’d add a proviso, we only speak if we have something good/sensible to say.
July 9, 2020 at 2:35 am
We could borrow from (other) animal communication. It’s earnest, to say the least. I agree that if listening is relegated to the shy, then everyone loses. We miss the shy person’s insights, and the vocal don’t value listening for themselves. Everyone should listen. And your proviso’s sound and sadly so contrary to the bombastic rants we get these days in the misguided belief that they are impressive. We still follow rules of rhetoric established 2,500 years ago, which were set so that speaking would be for the betterment of the community. The aim was virtue, which we call truth now. I’m hardly entrenched (I don’t think), but if we’re going to keep to those rules then we should keep the purpose as well.
July 9, 2020 at 4:30 pm
The aim seems now to comfort the basest opinions, shouting obscenities somehow makes them acceptable.
July 6, 2020 at 9:58 pm
How are the headaches, Christopher? Still there, or are you over them.
July 9, 2020 at 2:37 am
Thanks, Len, they’re happening in a patchwork fashion, now. There will be a headache, then it goes down, then one rises again, and so on. I’m hoping there’s a favorable trend at work. I also hope you’re very well and have been having a good week.
July 7, 2020 at 11:33 am
Listening, yes, there is the key to a better world. I love this poem, especially “there might be fewer words but greater truth.” I also like Jane’s proviso, to only speak if we have something good/sensible to say. 🙂
July 9, 2020 at 2:40 am
Yes, we agree she’s right. Wouldn’t so many exchanges either not happen or go better if we followed a good/sensible rule for speaking?
Thank you so much for telling me your reaction to the poem. There are reasons to go on, of course. But so often I think greater profundity is found in something brief. Not that what I’ve posted is profound, but “The Gettysburg Address” is holding up pretty well.
July 10, 2020 at 10:50 am
Yes, it is for sure. I think I could learn a few lessons about brevity myself. 🙂