4. AI, LEARNING TO LISTEN: A VALUABLE ACHIEVEMENT

For many years I believed that progress meant speaking well, arguing soundly, and having quick answers. I thought value lay in what one said. Over time, life taught me something different and deeper: learning to listen was my greatest achievement.
Listening isn't simply hearing words. It's paying real attention, without preparing a response while the other person speaks. It's suspending judgment, creating space, and accepting that the other person can teach us something, even unintentionally. This way of listening isn't learned from books; it's acquired through experience and humility.
Haste, the need to give an opinion, and the desire to be right are great enemies of listening. While one is busy asserting oneself, one stops understanding. Learning to listen involved unlearning many attitudes: interrupting, seeking immediate certainty, and responding automatically.
Listening transformed my relationships. I understood that many people don't need solutions, but rather presence. They don't seek advice, but rather to be taken into account. When someone feels heard, something shifts within them, even without additional words.
I also learned to listen to the silences. There are pauses that speak louder than words, and glances that express what cannot be articulated. Listening involves accepting those moments without filling them with noise.
Over the years, I've come to understand that listening is an act of profound respect. It's recognizing the other person's dignity, their story, and their worldview. Listening doesn't weaken; it strengthens. It doesn't diminish authority; it adds humanity.
Learning to listen also meant learning to listen to myself—to recognize my own emotions, limitations, and needs. Without this inner listening, external listening is incomplete. Internal noise is often the first obstacle to understanding others. In an age dominated by haste and constant opinions, listening has become a rare gesture. Perhaps that's why it's so valuable. Listening requires time, presence, and a genuine willingness to understand.
Today, I can say that many of the best decisions in my life didn't stem from grand speeches, but from listening at the right time. That's why, if I had to point to a true achievement, I wouldn't choose a goal reached or a brilliant answer, but rather having learned to listen.