Devorah Tarrow, Aesthetic Realism consultant, writes:
“You’re not listening to me!” many a spouse has protested. A husband can feel that his wife is not interested in hearing what he has to say. And a wife, likewise, can feel that what she says falls on deaf ears. But couples haven’t understood why they don’t listen or what will have them really want to. The trouble about listening is a deep source of pain in homes throughout the world.
The Understanding Marriage! class on Saturday, May 13 (11:00 AM-12:30 PM) will be titled: How Well Do Husbands & Wives Listen to Each Other? And this matter will be addressed in a way that will bring new, honest, thrilling communication to marriages!
The class, which is open to all women, will be taught by consultants Barbara Allen, Anne Fielding, and Meryl Nietsch-Cooperman. It is based on the following principles stated by Eli Siegel, educator, poet, and founder of Aesthetic Realism: “The purpose of marriage is to like the world. The reason happiness in marriage is such a rare item is that people have tried to love in a way that would mean less of a like for the world—in fact, a contempt for it.” At the May 13th event, these sentences are going to be taken up; they’re from a lecture by Eli Siegel on the subject:
Right now there are quite a few homes in the New York area where someone says, “Something is amiss—I was talking and he [or she] didn’t seem to be listening to me.” Since listening is so much a part of life, we should ask: Do I expect anything very much from listening? People do expect a great deal listening to music, but there is another listening that people have pretty much given up on. Listening should be accompanied with comprehension. It’s an artistic, deep, compassionate, and critical thing.
Each wife’s thought about this matter will be revolutionized as she learns about how contempt interferes with listening. A wife will also be able to see something that hasn’t been understood before: the listening with comprehension a wife wants and needs to have, begins with her trying to know and value the world itself, including the self of a man—and this liking of the world is the purpose of marriage!
The fee for the class is $10. For more information, call 212.777.4490.