A Listening Problem
Well-known Broadway producer Jed Harris once became convinced he was losing his hearing. He visited a specialist, who pulled out a gold watch and asked “Can you hear this ticking?”
“Of course,” Harris replied.
The specialist walked to the door and asked the question again.
Harris concentrated and said, “Yes, I can hear it clearly.”
Then the doctor walked into the next room and repeated the question a third time. A third time Harris said he could hear the ticking.
“Mr. Harris,” the doctor concluded, “there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen.”