Grannymar

My  turn once more to toss in the topic for the LBC today.

Listen

Listening is very important for all of us. I feel a post coming on….

That was a comment I left as a result of reading a post entitled Social Work by Delirious

Somewhere on my travels through blogland or the twittersphere I came across a young person – lets call him Henry - complaining about travelling on public transport and when sitting beside an ‘OLD PERSON’, this fellow traveller insisted on carrying on a conversation.

Henry like so many young people these days, was only interested in reading on his Kindle, listening to music on his iPod or surfing the net on his notebook laptop.  He saw the chatter as an intrusion of his time and space.

I have met many ‘Henrys’ and Henriettas’ on public transport over the years.  At times the sound from a one sided mobile phone conversation shouted right beside my ear or the iPod so loud, that the noise caused annoyance for me.  Just imagine what it sounds like for an older person with a hearing aid!

Whose space is more important?

Many an older person is reliant on public transport to get from place to place, they for the most part live alone and the bones are no longer flexible.  There might be days or even weeks when they are unable to get out of the house.  Old bones and slow frail movements do not mean the person has lost interest in people and in life.   Their family might live half way round the world, or all their peers have fallen from the tree of life.

Henry or Henrietta might be the first Real person they have encountered in some time.  Hunger to hear a human voice can feel like real physical pain.  So please listen as they chat, or speak to them for the duration of the journey.  What will you lose?  It will make their day and you might actually learn something from their long years of experience of life.

Difficult?  Not really.  Imagine your grandparent or great grandparent in place of the old person.  How would you like your friends or the Henry or Henriettas of this world to ignore them.

Here ends my Rant!

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Now go have a listen to all our active members:

Anu, Ashok, Conrad, Delirious, gaelikaa, Magpie 11, padmum, Ramana, The Silver Fox Whispers, The Student Diaries and Will