What would our world be like if we listened instead of judged?

What if the whole point is to listen and find the soul in people?

Questions asked – and answered – by Sidewalk Talk: A Community Listening Project, which aims to improve our world “one heart-centered conversation at a time.” The Project began with one person in one U.S. city. Today, there are 4,500 people in over 50 cities and 12 countries on 5 continents joining in.

The non-profit organization was started by psychotherapist Traci Ruble and Psyched in San Fransisco “because hatred, loneliness, exclusion were making us sick.”

Literally. Former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared loneliness an epidemic in the U.S.; it is associated with decreased well-being and increased mortality (similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day). Sidewalk Talk asks us to take time to be kind and listen to each other; “we need connection like we need exercise and clean drinking water.”

The Project was recently featured in this piece on American loneliness by CBS Sunday Morning. It reminds us of the power of listening, which:

  • Says You are not alone,
  • Is a radical act of kindness that takes practice,
  • Connects us human-to-human, beyond our differences,
  • Deepens the listener’s own sense of belonging,
  • Might brighten someone’s day,
  • Might change someone’s life, and
  • Can literally change the world.

[Special note: Sidewalk Talk is currently seeking proposals for 15 start-up community grants from interested leaders of color with a background in mental health, coaching, crisis intervention and/or community organizing.]

Curated by The Circle’s Creative Director & Editor, Lara Herscovitch (Cohort 10). To reach Lara directly: thecircle@clpnewhaven.org or Lara@LaraHerscovitch.com

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