I have often regretted my speech, never my silence. – Xenocrates

So who is that guy? Xenocrates was born 396 BC, and died 314 BC. He was a philosopher and mathematician who moved to Athens in early youth and became the pupil of Plato, whom he accompanied to Sicily in 361. BC. He also had connections with Aristotle. You got to love what he said. If everyone would take to heart and listen to each other a little more it will be a better year.

There is a passage in Mark 4 that is a good reminder about being open and a good listener: “4 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. ² And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, ³ “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; ⁴ as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. ⁸ Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Good listening produces great results. Let’s all make a promise to do a better job of listening to each other.

Be Well….