Listening
is much more than simply hearing.
Hearing is about receiving information,
while listening is about communication,
and calls for closeness.
Listening
allows us to get things right,
and not simply to be passive onlookers,
users or consumers.
Listening
also means being able to share
questions and doubts, to journey side by side,
to banish all claims to absolute power
and to put our abilities and gifts
at the service of the common good.
Pope Francis