The other day, I reviewed an interview with Dr. Conceição Evaristo, and I was very touched by the affirmation of the need to listen, to observe, to understand the world, the people, what is around.
Now in the second fiftieth anniversary of my life, I looked for new ways to practice what she pointed out.
Sometimes I find myself so self-absorbed...
Things pass... sometimes I lost them... sometimes I looked, but I didn't see them...
These are sounds I heard, but didn't hear...
Words I typed but didn't write them down...
The decision to pay more attention to the things that surround me was triggered by the speech of the illustrious academic, who learned by listening to her mother, the environment in which she was inserted, the students, friends, words and oral and bodily expressions – yes, bodily ones that are listenable--and which were translated into letters and writings.
When she put in her poem “Vozes-Mulheres”, the possibility of hearing voices interrupted by domination and suffering:
my daughter's voice
collects all our voices
collects itself
the silent silent voices
stuck in their throats.
(Evaristo, 2017)
So I decided to listen to the sound of the sea, each time its foam forms when it touches the sand. I paid attention to human voices, when they talk happily on a corner, on the phone, at a party... add up…
I also heard the silence of the night, which, in a metropolitan region, does not bring the possibility of being classified as silent… Cars and motorcycles emit the sounds of their engines; people raise the tones of their voices so that they allow themselves to be heard… The night guard sounds his siren, to let you know that he is attentive… Cats in heat, dogs bark. Gates creak when opened or closed. Arrival footsteps on stairs and hallways. The leaves and branches of the trees stirred by the freshest wind of dawn. Someone who snores heavily, asleep after a day's fatigue. The chatter and laughter of friends returning from a party. Cyclists who get together to take advantage of the less traffic on the streets and ride in a group; the sound of pedaling and shifting of their skinny aluminum gears.
And early, at the beginning of the day, as soon as the sun starts to spread all its luminosity, it is the birds that announce a new journey. Public transport is now ready to fulfill its mission, spreading the smoke, the less polluting (I hope). The conversation of passengers at the stop, while waiting for the long bus, which never arrives.
The cups, cutlery and pans that serve breakfast, which, in current times, have become rare, or thin, or weak on the table of many, who suffer from crises, which are punishing humanity. The smell of warm bread coming out of the electric oven. I don't think there are any more wood-fired ovens in the metropolis. Everything is electric: the oven, the car, the telephone, even the water pump of the sanitation company. Oh! Warm bread… the one that used to be made from wheat or starch, now has other versions: tapioca, naturally fermented, gluten-free, multigrain, colorful, vegan, and others that the human imagination is able to develop. The café au lait has also changed, retaining its attractive smell. Milk, before cow or goat, gained versions of plants, seeds or dried fruits, being extracted from rice, oats, almonds, coconut (ops! This is nothing new) etc. Coffee is common, espresso, decaffeinated, flavored… The price follows the variety; pockets, no!
It does us good, too, to listen to the gestural voice. A good reception anywhere, wherever you arrive, brings comfort, a feeling of welcome. The welcoming smile produces relief and happiness, the spontaneous affection that brings well-being. The service well performed. The look of complicity. An invitation to sit at the table. A cup of tea or a glass of wine. Realizing that the other receives unpretentiously and pleasantly. He even does the impossible to make the other feel cozy. Gestures that we still find in many corners of this planet.
You may also like
- Change your life with 6 Spanish writers
- Listen to your inner guide
- Open up to new perspectives on life
- Listening to each other
- Think about how you see the world
For some time now, neighbors have not gathered as they used to, at the door of the house with their chairs, but it is always possible to chat over the wall, on the balconies or in their windows. The most practiced listening of the XNUMXst century takes place in the virtual world. The exchanges of messages by the groups via the internet seem to be less invasive, because people read and respond when they want, or if they want, at the time they deem most appropriate for the troubled and deaf life they lead. Often, listening is deaf, when everyone speaks and no one pays attention, because they just want to vent, talk about their problems, without solving solutions several times. Virtual life lived on mobile. Nobody's life, somebody's life, collective life, published life, shared life, invaded life.
There is another listening that I want to emphasize importance: that of the body itself. The one that the human being sometimes lets out, sometimes makes him suffocate. The voice of contentment with daily successes. The voice of physical pain, of mental martyrdom, of psychological torment.
From the success with the physical form, the laboratory indexes, the dental reconstruction, the new hairstyle. The voice of joy with professional and intellectual achievements, as simple as possible. From the clean and tidy house. Of fragrant clothes. Of well-prepared food. From the family outing. Of exuberant nature. From invigorating sport. From the celebration. From self-care. Of belonging and collective memory. From the mother's lap.
From the pain of loss. Of illness. From the fear of going out at night. Facial recognition and false conviction. From self-sabotage. From falling into vices. From insanity. From the cult to distorted and deformed aesthetics. From the hacker and the GDPR*. The lack of adequate quality of life. Of lonely and unassisted aging. From everyday abuse. The lack of self-identification. Of abandonment and oblivion. From invisibility.
Listening is a privilege that one learns. There is always time to reframe the watchful eye.
Stopping, opening up to the world, feeling belonging to the planet, mixing with everything and everyone. An act worth trying and practising.
