If the light in us turns into darkness, how will we Hear

Fellowship Reality - Hearing with the heart

An article mapping the reality of our lives today in relation to 3 things: Christ’s teachings (logical, non-religious) on Hearing with the heart. Our generally trying to live in a fellowship by His teachings. And particularly, how our own ability to heart hear our reality - not with ears as much as the mind and heart - affects our own lives, our loved ones, and the lives of others near and far.

Heart

"The heart" as a centre of "hearing" as well as "feeling" and "decision" has yet to be explained by modern science. Yet in every country, every language, every culture, people use the word "heart" in everyday speech in relation to: love, courage, belief, the will, loyalty, trust, mercy, steel. In the English language alone we have everyday idioms and words such as: let your heart decide; listen to/follow your heart; take it to heart; set your heart...as well as goodhearted, bighearted, boldhearted, wholehearted, coldhearted, hardhearted,warmhearted,softhearted, halfhearted, an honest heart, true heart, firm heart...

Heart-Mind

So many mind-like & thought-like attributes that we humans relate to being from the heart; not the mind. Tibetan Buddhism focuses on the mind, but differentiates the "Heart-Mind" - a very useful concept. Perhaps not one conceptualised by all, but you can see from our everyday heart-language, we all seem to know there is more coming from our heart than just blood.

Ear of the Heart

Christ referred to the heart in the same way. He taught in relation to the heart: hearing, understanding, seeing, as well as loving. And evident from all Christ did and said and His logical arguments challenging the corrupt, we can see He possessed one of the brightest minds that spoke wisdom in clear incisive examples, never a surface gloss, and His words, touched the human heart, and our deepest understanding. Despite our human ear not quite getting it sometimes!
"...because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matthew 13:13)
"For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing,their eyes they have closed...(Matt 13:15)

Not the dull Sheep, but Mankind with the gift of a bright mind

Christ figuratively said to learn the "sound" of His voice (listen for truth, kindness, love, hope, positiveity...), and not be led off by voices of fakery, money and lies. He teaches us to listen and hear in our hearts; to truly understand His words; to follow them not as rote or "law" but as a way of life, and not just a way reserved for Sundays and high days & holy days, but in our everyday lives. Everyday. AND NOT follow like sheep either, for His bright words He gave to the bright intellect of Man: to hear, to see, to understand. The sheep only figure in his speech. The sheep and shepherd are visible, writ large on the page of His words. Even a sheep would see something on that page, sub-seconds before devouring it - munch, munch!! He wants us to see not the sheep but The Shepherd.

Not merely The Shepherd but the brightest of minds: to follow

Yet it is a page meant for the mind of Man to devour and to see deeply. To see to it in a determined way, that our heart hears; heart understands; and heart summons its will to boldheartedly follow and live Christ's words (John 10:27). The Shepherd, the One who leads for our bright, un-sheep-like, thinking, questioning minds to understand, and our very human & frail hearts to follow. In a funny twist, at the beginning of Christ's life the kings and shepherds did boldly go on a trek, followed the eye and will of their heart, and followed a star.

But in our fast, frenetic, fake-news world, it can be very hard to truly hear. Often too noisy to hear the truth in our hearts. And the stars we follow, mostly have a way of life we cannot possibly follow, although there are many who believe they want to.

Take Pause to hear before judging others & ourselves

Truly Hearing The World

The times we live in are fast and things are fleeting. How many of us hear something in our everyday life or on the TV, and without our minds questioning the source, the truth, the presentation, or our heart really understanding the Truth of the matter, we find ourselves judging someone or something in the world. And once we've judged and formed an opinion once, it can be difficult to un-form that opinion or form new ones. Christ was saying to us don't be quick to judge. Hear clearly and see clearly what is presenting itself to us; and hear and see what is already in our mind - our conditioning, the voice in our head, our judging... - and that we should examine ourselves first before we judge others. Yes it is hard at times. But we have been blessed with hearing, seeing, mind and heart:

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15)
"...those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Lk 8:15)
"But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Matt 13:16)

Truly Hearing Our Self

When we take pause and listen in our inner self to what our life is saying to and asking us:
Where have we been? Where are we going? Where do we want to go? Is it the same as where we need to be going? Where is our purpose in life and how are we going to fulfil it?

Is modernity making us focused on our own wants but increasingly hard of hearing to what is really going on in the world. Or to others' wanting: a stranger wanting our help; a neighbour wanting time; a loved one or friend in need of us lending an ear.
And when it comes to listening to ourselves:
When last did we listen with our heart?
Or last did we hear what it was saying?
When last did we understand what was being asked of us?
And when last did we follow and do some good?

Take a look at the related articles in the series "If the Light in you..."

Seeing with the Heart
The light of the digital
The Light of Truth
Hearing with the heart