Tag: discussion

Dialogue not monologue

Posted on by philipdodson

The challenge with only one narrative being voiced and seen as acceptable is that there is no balance, there is no respectful intellectual debate that would test the narrative being presented. So it is one-sided and as time passes it becomes dictatorial.

This is especially of concern when the one voice is one of authority that has been seen as a trusted source.

We live increasingly in a world of homogenisation and a single narrative where the opposing one is ridiculed and presented as ‘anti’ or ‘looney’.

If we want to maintain a healthy society there needs to respectful discussion of views of all, a dialogue not a monologue.

Sometimes it has to be uncomfortable

Posted on by philipdodson

Sometimes as humans we need to discuss awkward and uncomfortable things.

We can choose to head to Netflix or pretend they are not there, but that is ducking out of our responsibility to our fellow humans and is letting ourselves down too.

We all form the world that we live in and that means that each and every one of us needs to be part of the dialogue.

There is a great Facebook Live with Brene Brown, whose work I am a great fan of, and she is discussing the very touchy subject of race and it is well worth a 20-minute watch – click here. This clearly demonstrates the point and she puts it with greater depth and eloquence.

We need to discuss, not hate or criticise, difficult topics, as that is the only way to move forward as a human race. We’ve tried the authoritarian and hate approach and it has been a miserable failure so far.

Next time there is a challenging and uncomfortable thing to discuss, we need to step up and get involved, why wouldn’t you?