'Democracy begins in conversation'

'Its [the highlander center] basic idea was (and still is) the radical proposition that when you bring people together, they will find the answers. The wisdom is in the people.


Democracy begins in conversation because it is in conversation that we learn to care about the other. It is in conversation that we experience being an equal. It is in conversation that we learn to cooperate and question and create new ideas — all ingredients of democracy.


Berkeley linguist George Lakoff argues that social change comes when we evoke empathy in others — when people feel cared for, when people feel connected. Facts don't change many people. Further, researcher Tim Kasser says that when people hear too much bad news, they tend to go shopping — one of the things we need to reduce!


So haranguing people about changing their ways rarely works.

Talking about simplicity is perfect for conversation because no one can really be an expert. There is no Ph.D. in Voluntary Simplicity. Simplicity is about living deliberately, making conscious decisions about the well-being of people and the planet. We learn from our own lives — no need for second-hand ideas. When you are present as an equal in a conversation, you learn to think for yourself and resist the manipulation of the corporate consumer society.

source: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/green-your-workplace/change-begins-in-conversation/