I was a very hot blooded young man. Things that roll off my back today used to bother and upset me terribly. My skin was paper thin and my feelings easily hurt. At the slightest provocation I would fly into a rage and lash out at my adversary. I had a friend at that time who was slightly older than I, and much, much wiser. He was my sounding board. When he would see me in a fit of rage, he simply asked "what's wrong?" That is all he would say. Then he would sit and listen. He offered no advice. He made no comment. He just listened. When I would discover he was not taking sides, either mine or the other fellas, the wind would go out of my sails and I would begin to cool down. When I had run right out of "fury", my friend would quietly say, "I see, well, let's go have a coffee." And that would be that. It is a wonderful thing to have a real true "listener" if you happen to be a person who gets upset easily. Everybody liked my friend for this very reason. He knew how to listen in 11 different languages. I am convinced we all talk too much. I am also convinced that if you would be loved and respected, learn not how to converse, but how to listen.
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