Conversation Circles.

Related Reading
RED or BLUE?

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As I  close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

    Have you ever encountered a situation where you decide to write about something, and the next day you actually read something that is very similar to your thoughts? This coincidence actually happened to me, and I was really happy for this. In the age of the political arena where you feel that everyone is against you, this coincidence offered validation, and some an amount of hope for the survival of ideas.

   In my previous thoughts I wrote about how conversations / political exchanges could be enhanced / improved, where there are real outcomes with the creation of two diagrams. I viewed conversations are particularly important, where there are difficult topics to navigate, especially where there is opposing thought.

     However, through the material that I was reading, I learned that conversation organizations occur directionally. They are vertical. horizontal, and oblique. Vertical can be described as that from a parent to a child. Horizontal, from peer to peer, or co-worker to co-worker. Oblique is where the types of conversations occur in social institutions, and developing individuals takes place (2007). I thought about these modes of transmission, and felt that while it is good to have some sort of organization, sometimes if not most of the time, transmissions intersect, diverge, and also occurs cross-sectionally. They can vary from culture to culture, setting and environment. Most of the time culture does inform someone how to react or respond, which is why transmission modes and conversation structures allow room for adaptation. 

   When one is removed from one's culture, or entering another setting, such as work or learning  spaces. This is where we can think of the idea of "acculturation" (2007). Examples of this process include when migrants move from one country to another. Certain behaviour changes have to occur to adapt. This could also include the learning of a new language. We can even think of the weather, where adjusting clothing, or making a living space comfortable to accommodate seasonal changes.

     So once again I go back to my original diagrams, which I think probably fit the oblique modes of transmission. I wonder how varying arenas, such as political, educational, or communal have to adapt so that productive discussions are given a chance. Even in the political arena, where there are elements of control, there has to be space to discuss the politics of the day, current events or global issues. Whilst of course it is difficult to see the successes and outcomes, because of the slow pace of social progress, these are spaces where discussion occurs to innovate even at the political level. We can add the thoughts that pertain to political  / Government oppositions. Oppositions could be viewed as an opportunity to engage in crucial discussions, or could even be viewed as the abuse of power from the level of Government.

Further Reading and A Political Discussion Topic.

NY Times - Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Proposal Is at Odds With Legal Consensus

Question: Is this an opportunity for discussion, or can this proposal be viewed as an abuse of power, or even a threat?

My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :) 

Image 1 - Web Link
Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on October 31st, 2018.

Reference:
Berry, J.W., Poortinga, Y.H., Breugelmans, S. M., Chasiotis, A., & Sam, D. L. (2011). Methodology and theory. Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications. (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.