Hearing and Oral Story Telling

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Hearing and Oral Story Telling 

    I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks. Like a lot. I love music but there has been something really addicting about podcasts for me over the last few years. I have spent a good amount of time considering why I spend so many hours each day listening to people talk into a microphone sometimes alone, sometimes in a pair or group, and occasionally reading something pre-written. I have also been asked what makes podcasts the particular field of many destructive philosophies right now.
    The first and most obvious explanation is a desire for distraction. If I can jam in enough of other people's thoughts and a quick enough speed I won't have any space in my head for my own. Listening to multiple people conversing gives some relief to loneliness and if the conversation is elevated enough listeners might even leave feeling productive or proud.
    A more positive argument has to do with the freedom that audio media give you. I do not have to keep my eyes on a screen when listening to a conversation or story. I am free to use my hands however I need, move around as much as necessary, and imagine whatever picture I want.
    The audiobook version of Braiding Sweetgrass gave me the flexibility to craft while listening and taking notes, but I also really cherished being able to hold and flip through a physical copy that had been annotated by a loved one. 

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