Listening

To my present understanding, it is clear that listening requires practice, sometimes it appears unexpectedly, sometimes it can appear with renewed efforts. Much of the time i would say that i am listening when i am reacting.

If first i can begin to listen to myself, my condition, my thoughts and feelings, all these reactions, then there arises the possibility to listen from a different place in oneself. To listen to another person, or to music, to become aware of sound that surrounds us all the time, cars, birds, humming sounds from computers, etc.... to listen to a sound as it is, first requires a listening to ones inner noise. Inwardly there is much going on, judgements, opinions, comparisons, evaluations.....probably right now, can i listen to this, then perhaps i can listen to something outside of myself, for a short time at least.