Compassion Curriculum Connection – Science

Hearing vs. Listening

Hearing is the passive biological function of understanding sound. Listening is the active function of processing the information and acting on it, learning from it or storing it for later use.

In order to listen effectively, you need to filter out the background noise that is not pertinent. Mostly, we do this filtering without thinking. When someone gets a hearing aid or has tubes put in plugged ears they have to relearn the process of filtering sounds.

Compassion requires that we actively listen and hear with our hearts.