Interesting article that I think makes a good case for engaging in dialogue through something like a Democracy Café. I particularly liked this extract:
“A group of people invited to give their time and serious attention to a task that has no apparent goal and is not being led in any detectable direction may quickly find itself experiencing a great deal of anxiety or annoyance. This can lead to the desire on the part of some, either to break up the group or to attempt to take control and give it a direction. Previously unacknowledged purposes will reveal themselves. Strong feelings will be exposed, along with the thoughts that underlie them. Fixed positions may be taken and polarization will often result. This is all part of the process. It is what sustains the Dialogue and keeps it constantly extending creatively into new domains. ”
Mark P
Yes, and I rather like the idea of a ‘collective dance of the mind’. And I’m interested in the idea of ‘suspension’, particularly the notion of paying attention to the ‘strong feelings that might accompany the expression of a particular thought’. I am particularly susceptible to such strong feelings. I can now sometimes identify the precise moment when they start – although when I don’t, and even sometimes when I do, I still fall prey to pointless and angry exchanges with people that leave me feeling terrible for days.
Interesting article that I think makes a good case for engaging in dialogue through something like a Democracy Café. I particularly liked this extract:
“A group of people invited to give their time and serious attention to a task that has no apparent goal and is not being led in any detectable direction may quickly find itself experiencing a great deal of anxiety or annoyance. This can lead to the desire on the part of some, either to break up the group or to attempt to take control and give it a direction. Previously unacknowledged purposes will reveal themselves. Strong feelings will be exposed, along with the thoughts that underlie them. Fixed positions may be taken and polarization will often result. This is all part of the process. It is what sustains the Dialogue and keeps it constantly extending creatively into new domains. ”
Mark P
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Yes, and I rather like the idea of a ‘collective dance of the mind’. And I’m interested in the idea of ‘suspension’, particularly the notion of paying attention to the ‘strong feelings that might accompany the expression of a particular thought’. I am particularly susceptible to such strong feelings. I can now sometimes identify the precise moment when they start – although when I don’t, and even sometimes when I do, I still fall prey to pointless and angry exchanges with people that leave me feeling terrible for days.
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