I believe in conversations.
Not just any conversation. Just think about it for a second. In these evolving times, how often have you actually had a real conversation with another human being, cell phone off, a free flow of ideas? With technology use becoming increasingly prevalent across the globe, conversations are slowly becoming an addendum to a text message or an email chain.
This breakdown comes at the expense of a productive society. Most of the world’s greatest ideas result from two people sitting down next to each other and having a conversation free of distractions or worldly temptations. The free exchange of ideas from person to person is the most basic form of how knowledge is spread.
We’ve all experienced one at a time or another. With something on your mind, you call a friend and ask for a few minutes of his or her time. You meet up at a local coffee shop or pub and speak your mind freely and thoroughly. Whether you’re going through a tough break up with a significant other or you have an idea that will change the world, the other person listens intently, offering advice or a shoulder to lean on.
Conversations are the simplest and easiest form of expression. Conversations can convince and console, they can inspire and they can influence. And anyone can have one. It’s the simplest, most fundamental form of human interaction. Conversations have been happening since the beginning of human existence – millions of years before cell phones, pagers, email, and telephones. Without them, society stands still. With them, society flourishes.
I can still vividly remember the most important conversation in my life, and I suspect that you can remember yours too. It was the summer before my freshman year of high school. My father sat down with me at the Oakwood kitchen table I have known since birth and said that if I wanted to go to Penn State, succeeding during the next four academic years would be essential to realizing that dream. Today, my Penn State journey is almost complete — the most important and extraordinary journey I suspect that I will ever have. And it never would have been possible without that conversation in my kitchen seven years ago.
Not every conversation goes exactly like that. I’ve broken down in tears after a conversation with my grandmother’s doctor, after I learned about the evils of cancer. I’ve had a humiliating conversation with my mother after crashing the family car. But with each conversation comes a new understanding of the world. And with that understanding comes true virtue.
Next time you have the opportunity to have a conversation about something meaningful with someone meaningful, jump at the opportunity. Turn off your cellphone, leave your iPad behind, and take in the moment. Few earthly experiences are more fulfilling than a genuine conversation with someone who values your voice. Every person has an important story to tell, they just need someone to listen.
It’s up to you to be that person.
Conversations are free. Conversations are meaningful. Conversations change the world.
I believe in conversations.