Conversare – for an adventure in delightful connecting

Conversare (pronounced Conversari) – from the Latin con versare – to turn or to dance together is the name given to a new kind of social event described below.

“In the end, connecting well with others in the present moment of life is all that matters.”
Suzanne

“ … a combination of feeling relaxed, stimulated, surprised, moved, amused, and disappointed – the latter being as it was over all too soon, as people started to leave, and before we had more of a chance to properly engage with some of the others in the wider group. On leaving and traveling home – contentment on having spent a most enjoyable evening.”
Gerald

“This atmosphere that we had experienced when being together is so comfortable and allows me to openly and truly express myself and my views. It also teaches me to learn to listen openly and pay attention to the other person as well and when i do that i see myself in the mirror and notice both the similarities and the differences of who i am.”
Jessica

“In my model of the world, people are literally dying for want of real, authentic contact with those who are willing to engage. The rash of ‘networking’ over the past few years seems to have been driven almost totally by the need for ‘business’ contacts, without authentic regard or curiosity for or about the people with whom one is ‘networking’.”
Cathy

“Simple and deep, a spiritual adventure.”
Firti

What precisely was being commented on here?

Feelings arising from participating in Conversare events. In which the core activity is have a conversation over a meal with someone you have not met previously.  Everyone does the same, everybody present participates fully. And with opportunity to connect with others too.

They are held in public places and so anyone who wishes to participate is welcome to do so.

These are likely different from any social gatherings you have experienced to date. For there is no topic to address, such as in most Meetup events. Nor are they to resolve complex issues.

Why do this? Could this be for the enjoyment and the learning which happen when you engage in this way – have an encounter with a fellow human being purely to explore the commonalities and differences in each other’s lives?

How does this sound to you? Do the comments give you the sense that there are lively,  and perhaps unexpected, experiences to be had from participating in Conversare gatherings?

Which can be distilled into the experience 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’.

Given that there are two main ‘essences’ in this new way of socialising:

One is the delight in the experience itself, arising from the novel opportunity of connecting well with all fellow participants. And sensing also – which has often been reported – that if you happen later to ‘bump into’ anybody who attended the same event as you did, you will feel a kindred spirit.

Also 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.

The other could be a renewed knowing of what skills are inherent in being a competent and confident conversationalist.

For when we are relating, in person, with people with whom we have long standing connecting, such as friends and family, we are often not conscious of being curious and interested – and expressing this through careful questioning and listening.

And so participating in this kind of event can be a useful reminder of how important are these components of conversing – and of how much skill and associated practice underlies relating well to the world around you.

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

Alan Stewart, PhD
Adelaide