Listening to the Philosophical lectures
By expert Ph.D scholars,
I was zapped.
I did not understand a word.
My mind reeled and relapsed.
I could not get a grip on any philosophical term.
I questioned myself
Whether I had made a mistake
By jumping from dance
Where I was grounded and
My feet, very much on the floor,
Well balanced and comfortable.
Now, I was flying in the air without wings,
Trying to reach the philosophical heights.
The first few days in the Philosophy class
Was truly mind-boggling,
And disastrous too.
I sat wide eyed in the front bench
Just listening attentively.
We were instructed not to disturb the lecturers
By asking questions.
Several questions arose in my mind,
My mind was full of confusion
Even conflicting emotions,
But I suppressed them all.
I just sat listening and listening!
That was the first lesson
That I learnt in philosophy.
Talk less and listen more.
For a loquacious person like me
It was extremely difficult.
But over a period of time,
I realised;
That was the best lesson that I learnt.
When you are silent,
You can hear the sound of the whole world.
You can hear the sweet music of the birds,
You can hear the gentle flow of the rivers,
You can hear the tall trees talking,
You can hear the wind whispering,
But best of all,
You can hear your own little voice,
In the midst of silence,
Like the temple bells ringing
In your heart,
Loud and clear.
I was no more loggerheads with my mind
I was at peace.
A, good moral lesson for all the readers. Talk less. Listen more so that we can experience the sounds of the nature birds bees, etc. We can experience spirituality through silence.very true. Excellent poem through experience from life shared.
Wow, Geeta! I didn’t know you were a dancer. As an athlete I’ve been in awe of dancers, of the combined strength and flexibility they have. As to your lesson, yes, what a good one, and one I don’t come by easily either. (See my poem “Listening Prayer”.) My interest in philosophy came later too. I tend to think it hard at first because it deals with things so basic they’re usually below our cognition. Blessings! -Glen
Thank you Glen. I thought, mostly all those who read my poems, knew that i have been a dancer most part of my life. Philosophy came later as i have mentioned in this poem. Poems came much, much later than that.. I shall read your poem 'Listening prayer'. God bless Glen.
A brilliant poem full of wisdom. There is a saying that wisdom springs from absolute silence, a state of pure consciousness beyond all perceptions, the expression of which in a few words. Beautifully crafted and well executed write. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to take a glimpse of your life.10++++
Thank you Rose for your brilliant comment as well. Stay blessed.
'When you are silent' you are attuned to many things which you can otherwise let go off. Thanks for sharing a leaf from your own experience. An autobiographical piece. Thanks a lot, Geeta ji.
I feel an autobiographical piece in addition to the subject of the poem, surely would enhance the content and a better understanding and feel of the whole concept. That's my humble opinion. Thanks a lot Rajnish ji.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Hi Geeta, Listening is definitely an art. But But, to suppress the questions we have when we listen to a talk, is much more than what we bargain for. May be, getting the questions answered then and there, is suited for a science class, not for philosophy. And I guess, the questions get answered themselves, as we move ahead. Beautifully stated.
Yes! That's right. Your guess is right. When you go on listening, more and more, the questions disappear. You get the answer! Thank you so much.