The source of loving service for others is a heart that is aware, sensitive and conscious of one's own feelings and the feelings of others -- this is the goal of meditation.
~ from CHANGING THE WORLD WITHIN by Joseph A. Grassi
The discipline of silence was leading me not only to a keener attention to language but to an improved capacity for hearing. On silent Mondays, I began to listen differently—to myself, to others, and to the world around me. It was a listening I would call both active and without an agenda...I began to observe that when there was no expectation for me to respond, acknowledge, analyze...I listened differently. My ego relaxed... In silence I was hearing others more keenly and witnessing my own thoughts, too, and seeing how they served to separate or to connect me. I was learning not to turn away from the parts of myself that were difficult.