Conversation Week 2008

Tonight’s conversation was affirming, motivating, and fulfilling. While there’s no way to capture it - especially not while on east coast time - there were some wonderful quotes and concepts that came out of our three and a half hour long conversation.

* “This is about celebrating the power of conversation to change the world.”
* “We want to increase the level of quality conversation about every divide in every community so that democracy can flourish.”
* “A breakdown in conversation is a breakdown in citizenship, which implicates a crisis in democracy and our ability to achieve peace, happiness, and safety.”
* “If people can’t talk to people about what matters most will we never get to the future we want.”
* “What’s the minimal structure that will allow friends, neighbors, and strangers to get together to get small talk to big talk?”
* “This is about the Declaration of Independence. You know, ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ and ‘people are created equal’ - conversation is the great equalizer.”
* “Communication is not just repeating the same message over and over.”
* “We want to increase the level of conversational literacy.”
* “People are yearning for three big things: civil discourse, a chance to be heard; social capital, a sense of belonging; and citizenship, a chance to meaningfully participate in the decisions that impact our daily lives.”
* “This is about a movement.”