A long time ago....

.....in the days of semaphore and smoke signals, conveying even the shortest, simplest, message took great effort and concentration. Every letter in every word had to be spelt out carefully. In these modern times where we send texts and emails in moments, communication is much quicker. But is it any less prone to misunderstanding? There is a lot to be said for stopping and thinking before saying anything, to anyone, ever.

And, just as there is a lot to be said for not saying a lot; there is always a lot to be said for listening very carefully.

Truly hearing what is said requires us to listen with an open mind; 
a mind that is void of assumption, interpretation or judgment.