1.0 Introduction to Listening to the SONG of Life

As I awaken to a new morning, with eyes still closed, I am thankful to be alive another day. I hear my partner’s breath next to me. With both of us alive, I know it is already a good day. Turning back the covers, feeling coolness on skin, tasting dry mouth, eyes open to the colored poster on the ceiling above. The poster reminds me of practices to cultivate today such as meditation, mantra, and training the senses. Sitting up, sliding off the bed, feet feel the soft carpet and sense a grounding connection to the earth below.

This sample of sensory rich experience is what I mean by “listening to the SONG of life.” While the entire sequence in real time lasts no more than a minute, this kind of listening awakens me to the newness of the morning, bringing a sense of quiet joy that accompanies me into the day. I invite you to listen to the SONG of life, not only in your morning, but throughout the day.

In the following sections I introduce listening to the SONG of life in further detail. The first section provides an academic perspective of listening to the SONG of life. I begin by reviewing the academic landscape of listening definitions within the field of Communication. I suggest that the current understanding of the boundary conditions of listening within the field of Communication is too restrictive. I argue for an expansion of the boundary conditions of listening. This transition to a broader conceptualization of listening to the SONG of life requires a paradigmatic shift. I begin the shift with the recognition that the conceptual boundaries of listening need not be confined to the single academic discipline of Communication. Rather, the idea of listening belongs to multiple academic disciplines like psychology, sociology, anthropology, and communication. While not an academic expert in all of these disciplines, I point to others who are experts and suggest that we consider and converse with them to provide a more comprehensive understanding of listening to all life forms and forces. This multidisciplinary perspective of listening encompasses a significant part of what I call listening to the SONG of life. Following this transition, I explore five metaphors and models to assist the reader’s comprehension, visualization, and retention of the central ideas in listening to the SONG of life.