Day 22 of #LiveWell2017

Shhhhh…be quiet. Listen…

No, wait. Really listen. Turn off the TV. Hide the cell phone. Stop talking. Stop doing. Unplug. Completely.

Now, listen. Not just for 10 seconds, but for 10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days.

This is something I’m working on a lot during 2017. It’s a strategy I think could help the world be a better place. We are so plugged in these days. We are bombarded constantly with media – music, news, online social interactions, business apps – and it is keeping us from quieting our minds, listening to our hearts and understanding each other.

Yesterday millions of women and their allies all over the planet marched for equality. I was among them. Later, I read several articles by women who did not march, explaining why they didn’t need to march for equality. What I saw in both the march and in the articles was people wanting the same things – to be respected, valued, independent, and heard.

With all the noise generated by the technological wonders of instant communication, we have lost the ability to wait, to step back, to be quiet, to listen, to think, to consider different perspectives in relation to our own, and to find common ground.

“It’s easy to find reasons for division between people. Finding common ground is harder, but a step towards happiness.” – Unknown

We formulate our messages, craft our responses, and try to persuade before we even know who it is we are trying to influence. We talk to people who are like us or think like us. We dismiss or avoid talking to people who do not think like us.

I wonder what would happen if all of our technology stopped working for an hour every day – a daily worldwide tech-timeout. Quiet time. A listening hour. A time for people to be mindful, to meditate, to pray, to reflect, to sit and do nothing. Would it change our minds, our behaviors, our attitudes, our impulses? Would it make us able to find common ground? Would it make the world more peaceful? Would it make us happier?

What do you think?