Listening has always been important to Nienke. But due to a benign tumour in the head, she became deaf on one side in 2019. Her journey around how becoming deaf leads to better listening she wrote in her latest book, Listening for Change: the inner journey to outer Impact. This book will be published in 2023.
Going deep in her journey towards recovery, Nienke realised the importance of having really genuine, supportive people around in her life. Without judgement and with curiosity, Nienke took a closer look at why we end up with other types of people in our lives, like mosquitoes.
She recorded the change4joy podcast once herself to tell the real story of the mosquitoes.
Listening led to her contribution to the Geneva Peace week 2020 and walking the talk in her approach based on Sandra Epstein’s three ecologies.
The basic you can find in her Podcast: “The key for rebalancing after disruptions starts with listening”
Prologue
The story of the seed.
It is on October 22nd, 2009. The earth is wakening up with a bit of mist. From there, the late autumn sun is pouring out the last bit of warmth onto the colouring leaves of the tree. The wind is chasing the dry brown leaves that have already reached the wet ground of the garden. Suddenly the wind blows a strong strike of chilly air around the tree, and then it happens.
The seed drops from the branch and swirls down and down. Gravity is pulling. Stronger and stronger. It is the moment the seed knew it would come. Life has prepared it all along.
The soil feels cold and wet when the seed lands on the earth. The wind blows leaves on top of it. It gets dark around the seed. The light and the sun, the seed has known all its life, is gone. The leaves and soil are swallowing the seed into the earth. The seed knows what to do next.
The seed doesn’t complain about the circumstances, the lack of light and warmth. It never weeps for the changing environment in rain and snow, from being in the sun, waving in the air, into the cold elements of earth and water.
The seed doesn’t think about a new strategy; the seed doesn’t feel abandoned, rejected, nor abused.
From being in the dark, the seed does what it has to do anyhow: Keep growing towards the light and transform to the next stage of life’s circle. Listening for Change
Doing Good podcast
Based on the input for the Geneva Peaceweek 2020, Nienke was interviewed by Birsu Karaarslan on the topic of Doing Good. Birsu Karaarslan from Turkey is currently studying Development at the Graduate Institute Geneva.
You can find her interview here.