What the heck is a "Listening Table"?

A "Listening Table," provides a space for individuals to share their thoughts and feelings without judgment or advice. A former media specialist in Los Angeles,  Orly Israel is a communication skills educator and the founder of "The Listening Table," an initiative that demonstrates  how to create space for someone to feel truly heard in a world plagued by disconnection. Beginning with service work in a local prison in 2021,  Orly teaches that creating meaningful communication is an intentional act. 

     Similarly, Columbia University, in response to political and social conflict on its campus, set up tables in neutral areas on campus, facilitated by leaders, to foster understanding and dialogue across differences. Both initiatives aim to combat loneliness and promote better communication by encouraging active listening and providing a safe space for vulnerable conversations. 

      Here are some paradigm changing insights by British sociologist Johann Hari:

“Loneliness isn’t the physical absence of other people—it’s the sense that you’re not sharing anything that matters with anyone else.”  from Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions:

“What if depression is, in fact, a form of grief—for our own lives not being as they should? What if it is a form of grief for the connections we have lost, yet still need?”, Lost Connections

“So the opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It is human connection.” from  Chasing The Scream: The First And Last Days of the War on Drugs

Link to Hari Article on , Addiction,  Bonding, and Human connection 

  Trust Collaborative Listening Table at Columbia University

Orly Israel's Listening Table  

                                                               So… what does this kind of listening mean for our relationships to nature, art, spirit and one another? This is the essential, overarching question that we will be exploring around our picnic tables draped with lavender cloth. Listening to the voices of wise and mystical poets, attending to the interaction of our senses to the natural world around us, and conversing with mindful kindness with  one another, we will be shaping and sharing our own answers to our guiding question.   At Good Shepherd Jericho, all are always welcome at the banquet table.