In the wild, Wolves have survived in part because their ability to listen. Sound carries so much information. The ability to use that for awareness has saved many a wolves from sudden death from would be predators.

The wolf has few predators. Some say it has no natural predator. It’s an apex predator itself. Reality is slightly more nuanced than that. The wolf has healthy competing relationships with potential threats. Meaning, it won’t mess with a bear and a bear won’t mess with it as it does not serve any of their interests.

The pack will out perform any bear in a match. Bears do not operate in packs and would be hard pressed to overtake a pack. So they’re both at the top of their respective and at times overlapping food chains without stepping on each other’s turf.

Which brings us back to today’s topic. The reason why a lone wolf is not that common in the wild, as good as his ears are, a skilled bear could sneak up on him and cause him harm. (same could be said of coyotes, humans, foxes, and any other potential threads to the wolf) In a pack, however, there are many ears listening from many angles. What one might miss while eating/drinking/resting, the other will catch and communicate. The whole pack is a very sophisticated listening system.

The pack is always aware of any dangers because everyone is listening and looking out. The same can be said for what happens within the pack itself too. If no one paid attention to the activities inside the pack, any communicated events from outside the pack would not quickly spread through the pack. Especially when silence is key for survival. Wolves can signal danger without making much noise, because everyone is attentive to all signals. They can coordinate a silent response and counter very effectively.

The Listening Art

For this Wolf Wednesday, let’s look at the art of listening from the human perspective. More specifically, in the intimate relationship arena of human experiences.

Males have been accused of not being attentive to their females for as long as history can recall. In some circles, it’s seen as a bragging badge of honor to have the ability to ignore the pleas of one’s lady.

Many a man have scoffed at a woman’s efforts to get her man to wear a coat in the cold or go see a doctor for their health or stay home and work on the relationship instead of going to the local pub.

The false bravado of being able to remain stoically steadfast in one’s stubborn path may have been the stuff of legends in fiction at one point in time, but, this is not the way of a servant leader who expects to earn the trust of his leading lady.

Trust is indeed earned. Many men sadly feel that trust is a given based on their say-so. For women, stereotypically, that trust is earned in part by a man’s ability to listen and respond to her needs. Mind you, these needs are not always communicated verbally.