Fantastic essay. Listening in this way is an important part of Nonviolent Communication[1], which I'd highly recommend as further reading if this resonated with you.
I've recently started reading Nonviolent Communication[1]. I am in awe of some of the examples in the book. It must take years of practice to be such an effective communicator.
1. https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Lif...