Loud (first they observe and listen).

We are so attuned, in this present time, to listen to and to value those who speak

earliest,
fastest,
loudest
Loudest
LOUDEST.

Internally, I sometimes get frustrated with our children when they don’t respond with an answer in a classroom or public setting.

I know they know it and I want them to share that they know it.

But that is my own ego.

Voices of reason,
of understanding,
of problem-solving,
of bridge-building,
of true progress,

are an outgrowth of quiet confidence based and rooted in a humble spirit of learning, of question-asking, of curiosity, and in

a strong conviction
that they do not need to validate their ego or self-identity in the immediate present by impressing those around.

That rush of validation is external, is temporal, and is a drug that needs to be fed.

Those with voices worth listening to know they do not need to be first, fastest, or loudest.

Let us - let me - listen harder, wait better, and practice a patient sort of leadership, parenting, and teaching that is rooted in helping those around find their voices from within.