Mindful Hearing: How To Avoid “Getting” Radical Hearing

Why should we want to get our judgment and decision processes slanted and biased by endorsing radical speech? It leads to the characteristics we listed in our “7 Characteristics” page: Fanaticism, impatience, simple-minded two-category thinking, believing that other people are hostile to you, etc.  These are unpleasant and inadequate ways to live our lives. But radical speech is everywhere, and avoiding it is difficult. Here are some commonsense ways to avoid letting it happen to you.

1. The simplest technique is avoidance; just tune radical speakers out. When you hear someone deliberately pushing anger, aggressiveness, divisiveness, the usual hate, just don’t listen.    

2. If you can’t avoid the noise, move into a cool, rational, mindful  mode. See the speech for what it is, just noise intended to upset you. Just watch how it works and where it comes from. Look at the underlying motives of radical speakers without assuming that their motives are your motives.