Discourse, Discussion, Dialogue

Moving toward a shared reality

Our culture has many spaces for discourse and discussion, but I believe there is a lack of true dialogue.

Discourse involves communicating a message from one to many, like a classic lecture, a speaker on stage, or a content creator behind a camera or microphone.

Discussion, on the other hand, is a two-way conversation but often resembles two overlapping monologues. In a discussion, each person maintains their own point of view or subjective reality and shares it without fully integrating the other person's perspective.

Dialogue, however, is about moving toward a shared reality, even if only for a brief moment. It involves suspending judgment and being open to what the other person presents, allowing us to uncover their view and see how we can relate to it.

This, I believe, is where a shared wisdom can emerge from, because there is an effort to truly see and understand the other person’s perspective.

This weekend, I caught up with my friend Blake La Grange, and we attempted to engage in a genuine dialogue.

The beauty of it is that neither of us knew what would emerge, there was no agenda, other than an intent to be present and open to whatever would arise.