It was Diwali day and the air was filled with light from the lamps/crackers, noise crackers and razzle-dazzle of the fine dresses worn by everyone. Padma had just been shifted to Quality Management section and had been given the initial training. She was excited as she learnt the difference between Listening and Hearing.
Kingo, in his commanding style muttered, “Who cares? They are just two English words with the same meaning”. Prabha was trying to figure out the difference between the two words. It was Kaushik who broke the silence saying “When you learn a new bidding gadget like say Lebensohl or Gazzilli, we try to cram it rather than understand the logic. That is Hearing. Knowing the rationale of each bid and bidding without cramming is listening”
Padma was trying throw in her knowledge on Listening and said with a smile, “Kaushik is absolutely correct. When you listen, the listening level will vary depending on what you are trying to achieve. It can be appreciative (like a music concert), Emphatic (trying to put yourself in speaker’s shoes), Comprehensive (like attending a lecture or seminar) or Critical (like when you are going to buy an expensive item). I think Kaushik will agree with me that we are discussing Bridge systems, we must be listening comprehensively”
Kaushik nodded and said, “There is a big difference between knowing the basics of every gadget and getting into the depths of the subject. Apart from comprehensive listening, We must discuss with experts and read books to have thorough knowledge on the subject. We all claim we know Lebensohl and XYZ but do we know when to break them?”
Kingo said, “I break it all the time. I forget the system but somehow land in the right contract”. It was Prabha who interjected Kingo, “I think Padma and Kaushik are making an important point and let us not brush it aside. Superficial knowledge can lead to bidding disasters but in-depth knowledge will help us win. I think we should make pictorials of our bidding system and give it to Kingo to understand than asking him to read system notes.”
Everyone agreed that we need to put in more effort to understand the depth and exchange notes so that lesser mistakes are made at the table. It was time to go home and celebrate Diwali
Tailpiece: Goofy barked, “I always listen. Never hear. How else do I bring the morning newspaper home or bring back the ball thrown by you. Since I don’t know how to hear, I only listen”. Kingo nodded, “Great Goofy. That’s the way to go.
