Some good wisdom in this post! I highly agree with pretty much everything you said, though unfortunately I've got to the point where I interact so much like this with so many people I can't keep up with it all. I find myself spending hours every day trying to talk to everyone and it's never enough, whenever I send a message I often get another one back and then it just adds up and adds up and adds up until I feel exhausted... Though I'm glad I try. :) It's very rewarding to connect with others and learn about them and to be human to whatever degree that is possible.

Listening, and truly listening is not an easy task. But it is definitely one of the most powerful ways to let the other person know that their words matter to you, that their stories interest you, and that you are paying serious attention.

This is super important! It seems so rare to meet people who genuinely listen, I think it's one of the best skills you can learn. I remember reading about this in a book when I was like a teenager or in my young twenties and it really stood out to me and has been important ever since... And I have a lot of people tell me how much they appreciate that I actually listen, it's a great thing and I think the world would be a better place if more people genuinely listened to each other more.