57. Question: Why is it so difficult to listen?

Sri Chinmoy: Sometimes we do not want to listen because our ego comes to the fore. Listening implies the superiority of somebody else, and it is very difficult for us to accept our humble position as listener. But if we can take the other person as our very own, if we can feel that the other person is our own reality in a more illumined and fulfilling form, then we will have no problem listening. If we don't feel like listening to someone else, or if we don't want to give credit to somebody else, or if we are incapable of admiring the truth just because someone else saw it before us, we can try at least to listen to our soul. If we dive deep within, we can hear the dictates of the soul.