Thanks for the idea dayhiker 
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WHY don't we listen? Is it because we don't want to? Is it because we don't value what others have to say? Is it just because we talk to much?.
It's funny to me, kind of, because one of the things I have always thought about others is that "they just don't "get" me". I feel like sometimes I talk and yeah people hear me talk and appear to be listening but really they don't hear much of what I have to say. And sometimes I do the same to others. I don't listen because either I've heard it before (so I think) from them, or the topic is really boring or so about them, so I think we are ALL guilty to some degree. My kids don't listen to me, otherwise they would put their dishes away ALL the time. Or they listen and don't really CARE what I want, which I guess I could be guilty of as well. What about you? WHY don't YOU listen? 
There are various theories.One possibility could be due to the simple fact the many people just cannot hear as well as they should. By playing loud music on ipods and by having earphones buried in one's ears,the high decibels are affecting one's ability to hear.
Some men,as they get older,begin to lose their abilty to hear high frequency sounds. Women,in general,tend to speak in higher frequencies.Therefore,some men,as they get older,have a harder time hearing their wives.
Some people are thinking of what they are going to say while the other person is speaking. Therefore,they are tunning the other person out.
Some people just tend to "zone out" while another person is speaking.
Now,I do not condone cursing,but sometimes one has to use a curse word in order to verbally "shock" the person back into the present moment,and/or to make the person,whom you are talking to,know that you are very serious,and that you mean business.
One comical example that I have is,one time at work,I told my co-worker that I had to work the comming Sunday. I told him three times,three times,since I know that sometimes I have a problem communicating with people,that I only have one ticket for the 49er football game. The last thing that I said to H....,"Now remember,I only have one ticket." A couple of days later,I went to his part time job,in order to give him the ticket. He looked at the ticket,then looked at me,and said,"Oh!...you only have one ticket? I promised my son that I would take him to the football game this comming Sunday!
I then thought to myself," You see? I tried. I tried so hard to communicate with people,and I still fail to communicate with some people! Now I know why things in the Bible,especially in the Old Testament are often repeated.
It is because people do not get things the first time you tell them!
In the Navy,in Boot Camp,before an officer would give us a task to do,he would say,"Okay........ Everybody listen up,because I am going to say this one time,and one time only!" After the instructions are given,he would say,"Do it!" You had better be listening,because if you did not do it right,because you were not listening,you would be in big trouble.
After receiveing an order,in the Navy,one would say ,"Aye Sir!",meaning yes sir. If you said,"Aye,Aye,sir!",that meant,"I heard the order.I understood the order,and I will carry out the order to the best of my ability." That is what I liked about the Navy. Communicating to your co-workers was far easier than in cilvilian life.
I think people listen very carefully only when the stakes are very high. If you are walking on the street,and a police car pulls up to you very quickly,the car is stopped,the cops get out,pull their guns on you,and tell you to "FREEZE! ,NOW PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!",you had better be listening to those cops!
