Beyond the surface, can we create healthy ways to connect through stories, exploring a world fueled by curiosity?
When we gather and sit around a table with strangers, the people hosting the gathering instruct us to introduce ourselves. And they usually outlines us to share what we do for a living and where we are from. It’s pretty cookie cutter and no surprise to anyone.
The gathering can have people from different generations. Some older, some younger. Also, from different cultures and countries. And the unspoken: different places in our lives. Some clear on purpose, some still figuring it out.
But when we get snippets from ten people around the table, we don’t really learn much about each other stories. There is rarely any depth in the dialogue but an exchange of basic information. Not really connecting.
Now, what’s fascinating is that despite knowing next to nothing about each other, because we have not lived through what anyone else lived through, we don’t really hear each other. And on top of it, anyone experiencing imposter syndrome is trying hard not to be found out.
But everything changes when we choose to listen and a lot. Not just for what is being said, but for what isn’t being said.
Imagine a group gathering 10 times, where each person shares our true story. Not as a speaker but sitting around a table and having an open dialogue. Not waiting for the “end” to ask questions. No longer programmed but free to experiment. This is how we create community. Not with preparing questions ahead of time but letting the conversation organically flow–even if there are bouts of discomfort and silence. Maybe that’s part of our path to healthy relationships?
So, we would not only hear the story, we would discern the rhythm, the passion, the pain. Maybe even learn something about ourselves. And we would not be scripted. Just real and raw.
Here is the deal. Each of us has a story; no one is special.
But creating a space to share our stories, to listen and ask questions requires our humanity. It’s simple and powerful.
What if we gathered and shared not only our stories of the past but the true stories of the world we want to live in. Imagine taking what we know to the next level.
What would happen if instead of the same old questions, we talked about what we are curious about. And then among the people, instead of networking, we would connect with people who are also curious and create something unexpected.
And then at some point, new people joining us would also be curious and we would explore our shared creations.Instead of a gathering, we would have a real passionate community.