Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash
It was just outside of Texarkana, in the midst of a thousand-mile drive, that I found myself struggling to find a radio station.
Rock ‘n roll was in short supply, the country was a bit too country, and so I settled on listening to a bit of the Faith & Family network. This wasn’t so much a Christian station as it was a Biblical assault. Real fire and brimstone stuff. Besides the immediate conclusion that I was surely going to hell, I had a feeling that we all know well... that feeling of wanting to immediately reject what you are hearing because it does not align with your beliefs, world view, etc. Tune it out or turn it off, and do it quickly!
I reached for the tuner (this was well over a decade ago) and paused. It wasn’t the content or message that I was hearing that stopped me, it was my reaction. I didn’t want to listen to what I was hearing. I judged it as being a waste of my time. I did not agree. I wanted to close my mind.
Sound familiar?
At that moment, outside of Texarkana, I realized something quite profound...
I looked at the radio band, from 88 to 108, and realized that every single person tuned into the same radio but they picked the frequency they chose to hear. We are first, the same, and second, different. Every person listens to the same radio but hears something different. I realized that I can only listen to one frequency at a time and I have my preferences. Maybe I need to rely on my fellow man to tune into other frequencies so that we can educate each other on what we hear. Without each other, we are stuck. Stuck listening to the same station, droning on, endlessly, with the same content, message, opinion, and knowledge. I need my friends who have different views to share with me what they hear because I am deaf to all other frequencies.
We need each other now more than ever.
Tune into what your friends are saying, in particular those that might see the world differently. They hear what you do not. Closing our minds to messages we don’t want to hear is a privilege of our times. We have near-infinite possibilities of where to get our news, opinions, and content. Ironically, most digital media is programmed to reinforce what you choose (if you “Like” this, then you might like this), thereby narrowing your perspective. This is a risk and the marketers’ profit.
Maybe your friend is right and you should put a few more cans in the pantry or maybe you should head out to the park to get some fresh air and enjoy the nature. Make the time to talk with those that you know, love, and respect. Listen to what they are saying and learn. Be so thankful that even though you and I are partially “deaf”, we can still “hear” if we are willing to open our minds and hearts.
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
Looking for your next great opportunity?
Have hiring and/or recruiting needs?