Conversare – essences and explorations

Becoming ever clearer to me and my associates is that there are diverse essences and associated experiences in – and implications of – Conversare ‘to turn or to dance together’ events.

These can be distilled into the excitement of being enlightened, exhilarated and even enlarged by the sheer enjoyment of being thoroughly engaged in enlivening conversation.

In which everyone present is a full participant, everyone gives of themselves to be immersed in ‘the dance’.

How does that sound to you? Does something deep inside you resonate with these thoughts?

More practically <smile> is that Converare has been well explained, in this way:

“It provides an exceptionally simple approach for the return to glory of community trust and connectivity.”

For, yes, it is indeed simple given that there is a host who welcomes everyone and introduces a few guidance principles, among which are:

. Everyone who has chosen to be here today is one of the right people.

. No matter what your background you are most welcome.

. There is fine food available and once you have chosen yours find someone you don’t know – a stranger – with whom to have a conversation over your meal time together.

. Everyone in the room does the same, all participate fully.

. We are here to give not to get and we express this by being curious about our meal partner.

. There is no ‘subject’ to address, as in MeetUps. The intent is to have an uninterrupted conversation about each other with the person with whom you happen to be interacting.

Other ‘givens’ of Conversare:

Opportunities for such kind of conversations are rare in these times of ‘busyness’, ‘babble’ and fragmentation in our everyday lives. This is a way to provide such opportunities. And also a wholesome means to redress the imbalance between digital and personal connecting periodically.

. Events are held in public places so that anyone who wishes to participate can do so.

. The purpose is to have an in depth encounter with a fellow human being, no matter who this happens to be. Purely to explore your respective backgrounds, experience and interests. From which often emerges the realisation that, no matter how widely different are your histories, you have a lot in common.

With questions such as “What has prompted you to be here today?” and ‘What kind of things would you wish to share with me, such what are some of your main interests?”

. hosts can be people who have skills as facilitators or coaches and who recognise the kind of need to be met as expressed by a longstanding friend of mine in Hong Kong.

“I am intrigued by the issue of connections and personal relationships in the modern world. When urban living relegates people to having thinner human/ physical connections and how enterprises like Conversare come in to redress this gap and natural human craving for close personal contact.”
Mani Goel

. Hosts do what they can to ensure that all present feel welcome and relaxed, ready to engage in the way suggested and that the intention of having rich experiencing is fulfilled.

. Why interact with a stranger? Essentially “in a world rich in human diversity, instead of being fearful of strangers, much depends on how our encounters with ’otherness’ can enlarge and renew our lives.”
Sarah York in her book ‘The Holy Intimacy of Strangers.

I wonder if from what you see here, perhaps also from my earlier posts,  you intuit that there is more to this this than meets the eye? Could this have as yet unknown significant  implications for how we human beings relate to each other? 

Alan Stewart, PhD
Adelaide