Conversations and Community

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation). Last week, I shared an excerpt titled – ‘The Power of Words – Rhetoric and Reality’ from the book titled ‘The Axemaker’s Gift’ – Technology’s capture and control of our minds and Culture by James Burke and Robert Ornstein. In this episode we drew attention to the fact about Rhetoric, the art of presenting an argument so as to convince the listener, this according to Plato could make “small things seem large and large things seem small by some power of language and new things seem old fashioned and vice versa.”. Another aspect that was highlighted in Georgias writing was, when we communicate, we never exchange the thing but only the word for it, which is always other than the thing itself. So, every word introduces falsification of the thing it refers to, and this means that one can never reproduce reality and that any claim to be able to do so is a deception. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Conversations and Community’ from the book titled ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen, a distinguished university professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University and author of many books and articles about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. This book is about a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach public dialogue, and just about anything we need to accomplish, as if it were a fight. It gives us new ways of resolving our differences and uncovering the honest truth. Conversations and Community In conversation we form the interpersonal ties that bind individuals together in personal relationships; in public discourse, we form similar ties on a large scale, binding individuals into a community. Community norms and pressure exercise a restraint on the expression of hostility and destruction. Many cultures have rituals to channel and contain aggressive impulses. In just this spirit, at a national convention of a political party in 1996 two politicians talked about growing up in small communities where everyone knew who they were. This meant that many people would look out for them, but also that if they did something wrong, it would get back to their parents. If a young person stole something, committed vandalism, or broke a rule or law, it would be reported to his relatives, who would punish him or tell him how his actions were shaming the family. Community is a blend of connections and authority. Excerpt from ‘The Argument Culture’ by Deborah Tannen. I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book and find it thought provoking, to read a brief overview you can click on the following link and subsequently buy your copy too: https://www.deborahtannen.com/the-argument-culture Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste!