There is little in this world that can top a great conversation with a friend, new or old, over a cup of tea, coffee, ...beer. There is something powerful and comforting in the verbal exchange between two people. It can be likened to a restoration of the mind, a revitalization of our systems and our souls.
Lately, I feel like I'm down a pint, running low on this front. First of all, it seems absurdly difficult just to find time with a friend or acquaintance. Secondly, I wonder if it is becoming a dying art? Is it? Are simple, in-person, one-on-one conversations going the way of the Dodo and the hand-written letter? I sure as blazes hope not!
While I am no less an avid social media hound than the next person, there is nothing that can match the feeling and energy exchanged between two, free-thinking people in an open, passionate conversation. It is akin to mental love-making and meant to leave both parties inspired and rejuvenated.
I know that it can be terribly satisfying to hold a conversation with someone who sees your point of view and agrees with you on all fronts. I have enjoyed this experience many times and felt oh so vindicated through the nods and agreement with my own perspective but what of the exchange that challenges and takes you where you have never ventured?
I will never forget the first conversation I had with someone well-versed in quantum physics. This one was over a pint - which helped me open my mind, I'm certain. I remember how great it felt to be taken to such a foreign world, a world beyond my knowledge but not beyond what made sense to me on a cellular level. I remember how, the very next day, I was scanning the shelves of my local book seller, eager to purchase a 'beginner's guide' - naive, perhaps, but I did find something to get me started. I read many web sites on thermodynamics and quantum physics and slowly ploughed through the book I purchased, having to read each page a dozen times before it made any sense to me.
This one conversation reminded me, for the gazillionth time, that the world and its possibilities, my possibilities, are unfathomable, how with each word, each encounter, we grow and move and learn.
Conversations expand and excite me. They keep me guessing and wandering down the path that is my life. They are undeniably necessary to my existence, my growth and my quality of life. Conversations are irreplaceable.
Coffee and a chat, anyone?
-Gillian Cornwall, July 23, 2017
Original Post, c. July 27, 2014
Cornerstone Cafe - Fernwood
Gillian Cornwall, Victoria, BC c 2014
1 comment:
HI Gillian,
I appreciate your sentiments on dialogue and the power of conversation -- thanks for sharing them. I also like the shape of the thoughts you shared on CBC Radio's On The Coast today (independent living, collectively). I think the biggest challenge is a current policy framework that won't 'grok' novel approaches like this automatically. I think building a network of like-minded folks will help people navigate the system. I'd like to connect for a friendly brainstorm and a cup of tea or a pint; I'll be in Victoria in mid-August. I'm hoping you have comments turned on for old posts :) Cheers, Ifny Lachance (Vancouver BC)
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