Walls have risen between nations and people of different faiths and cultures. There is increasing violence against people whom we do not approve—physical in the real world and verbal online. We are unwilling to give people the dignity that they deserve when they are different. We are losing our ability to listen to people who are not like us even within the boundaries of our nations. The idea of democracy is in peril. Meanwhile, global problems—climate change, depletion of shared resources, persistent poverty and increasing inequalities—cry out for more urgent solutions.
Listening is a simple idea. Everyone—rich or poor, powerful or weak, educated or uneducated—can listen to each other. In Listening for Well-Being, Arun Maira shows us ways to use the power of listening. He analyses the causes for the decline in listening and proposes solutions to increase its depth in private and public discourse. Drawing from his extensive experience as a leading strategist, Maira emphasizes that by listening deeply, especially to people who are not like us, we can create a more inclusive, just, harmonious and sustainable world for everyone.