To be heard is one of the most rewarding things there is. Furthermore, we could sure use a lot more of it. In a recent session, Psych-girl and I were just talking about that behavior and interaction. She assured me, in a side-door sort of way, that she wasn’t simply nodding her head; but actually listening and hearing me.
However, that desire (to be heard) crashes into the reality that we, as individuals, are insignificant. With a few exceptions (= Trump, Musk, Vance).
Let’s talk about it.
On 2Way this morning
was a perfect real-life example. Near the end of the one-hour live program (@53:32), a man, Leo, comes on and recounts how he wrote a five-page proposal regarding how the Democrats could win the young, male Latino vote. The young, male, Latino, Leo, sent his ideas to the local Democrat congressman before the Dem’s convention this summer. He never got a response. Subsequently, the Dems lost the election, partly because they lost his demographic. (See my analysis here.)
Leo’s frustration was palatable. He said he was now just three steps away from abandoning the Democrats and joining the MAGA movement.
Trump hears you
says nearly everyone who has spoken to him one-on-one. Is it an act? Like the therapists’ head nod? Just a training/conditioning designed to make you feel good; and come back for more?
In December of 2015, I sent a chapter of my (in progress) book to Mr. Trump’s start-up campaign. Because I thought, like Leo, that I had something of value to say. However, unlike the Dem’s team, the Trump Team responded.
Here is where the story gets very interesting. The chapter I sent Team Trump was “Syrian Refugees”. In it I proposed that Trump talk with the Saudis and build “Sand City” – a temporary home for all the Syrian people while the “good guys” root out and kill the “bad guys” (ISIS).
The scenario is almost exactly like what is happening now in Gaza with the Palestinians and HAMAS. To a T! Moreover, Trump’s floating a proposal that sounds exactly like what I suggested way back then. Coincidence? Maybe. Depends on your perspective of how the world works.
In Conclusion
To be heard is one of the most rewarding things there is. However, it is a challenge to be heard because there is a lot of competition. Additionally, being heard can be very expensive (= time and/or money) because of the modern world that was created by people and forces out of any one individual’s control.
I’d love to hear what you have to say regarding your voice and being heard. (Not that what I think/say matters.)
I cannot recommend 2Way enough. It’s live 2xs a day, @7am and 4pm (MST). If you so desire to be heard? It’s a fantastic platform. It is like therapy.
Thanks again for your posts. They make great reading (as does your book!), and show a slice of America that we need to follow. I’m happy the Trump folks took the time to get back to you, and yes, it sounds like they took your idea and incorporated it into Gaza! Well done again, Mr. Jabbour!
Thanks, Rich. Oh how I wish more people would hear/read me. It’s just such an overwhelming world now. There are millions and millions of stimuli coming at us all at once. SO many choices. SO many perspectives! Many of which are just flat-out false. And that nagging axiom – Who Decides? And then there’s the Why. Why in the heck would you ever think/do/say that?!
Which is why I love 2Way – regular (mostly smart) people, as well as professionals, come on and tell their stories, give their reasons, the why. Albeit very briefly. Halperin has established a very civil protocol, a safe space. Like the doctor’s office 🙂
Update, Wednesday, 10 December, 2025. It’s coming on Christmas and things are heating up–everywhere; as it always does this time of year. Yes, and I recall that Donald Trump sent me a Christmas card in 2016, or maybe it was 2015. Anyway, think about that! Do you think he does that now? I doubt it. I’ve put in a scrapbook.
So yeah, back-in-the-day, I was heard, by the current POTUS. That’s how you win, to listen and validate. You don’t have to agree; but to be heard is something special. Merry Christmas.