Did You Hear Me?

Remember when a parent said to you, "Did you hear me," or maybe now you say it to someone?  Did you hear me does not really ask the question of whether or not your ears heard.  The question translates into, "Are you going to do what I just asked?"  It is not a question of hearing, but rather a question for the will.  Is your will in tune with my will is what the parent or boss is asking.  So why do they ask a question that has to do with hearing?  I think it is because we may hear words, but we either don't connect (preoccupied or ignoring the questioner) or we hear but it does not effect our will to take action.  The kid who wants to avoid a hassle simply says, "Yes," and then does not do what the parent wants.  Parents are either too optimistic or too weary to press on, because they often seem to think that yes means yes, when in fact all it means is I heard you, but I will not obey.  When religious adepts ask the question, "Did you hear?" or "Let the one who has ears hear," what they really mean is, "Are you open to changing your life?"  I must have bad ears, because I keep hearing the same advice and keep drifting into doing the same old self-willed stuff.  Transformation is hard even if you truly want it.  But it certainly won't happen if you say "Yes," but mean "No."