eye and the radio

she sees sounds  60" x 40"  oil/canvas

 *****

eye, the wandering artist, went for a drive, ended up at the giant tiger,  bought sweat pants, dishwashing soap, chocolate covered almonds, q-tips. eye paid, walked out to his car, put the giant tiger bags into the back seat, got in the drivers seat, put the radio on, closed his eyes, sat still and listened. following is an excerpt of what eye heard on the radio:


... empathy involves listening, a certain kind of listening, a kind of listening which is not judgmental, not critical, not suspicious.   the opposite of the kind of listening that a jury does when listening to witnesses.  the kind of listening which is necessary for empathy is sympathetic listening – believing the story of the other. 

empathy is not just listening to a person's story but participating in the person’s story, so that the listener  hears and believes the facts of the person's experience,  feels the experience at some level.  empathy with another is not simply to believe what that person says but to feel along with that person, to participate in that person’s experience.
 
having an empathetic ear towards another means one is able to transcend oneself and one's own experience in order to enter into the experience of another.  those who have received such empathy from another will know that there is nothing more healing or more validating than this...

*****

-