FootprintsintheWind.com

If the oppressor is the oppressed, not only lives inside but is engendered by her or him, such as our present early 21st century consumer culture, how do we cast off the oppressor (ourselves), engage in a pedagogy of ourselves? We cannot know ahead of time. We can only work toward birthing authentic and free persons. That work? Dialogue. This is the problem our conversing works on—becoming human.

:- Doug.

I like a large room with conversations in the corners and odd spaces of it, where we can all see and hear the buzz and receive the energy of the other players, and still concentrate on this particular conversation, this player speaking to me, to us. The focus—the fireplace—is the center circle which existed, has dispersed, and will gather again from the fires sparking in each corner and odd space. Focus produces something.

:- Doug.

The function of conversation is life itself. The function of conversation is finding this life, enlivening it further, making the players as full as they can be in this moment (~Freire). So we have the large conversation-topic, the breakouts, the side conversations. The function is finding the neighborhood conversation, the city-wide, region-wide, and national conversations, and precisely the life and energy and intensity in them which engenders life in the players.

:- Doug.

Alexander’s centers pulse in place while conversation involves centers and especially betweens who can kick back. Because his centers are static it is difficult to grasp their action. It might be because conversation moves so quickly we miss the action. The actions of the centers may be in pointing toward each other: to help or to counter.

:- Doug.

Abdicate your self
Solemnly proclaim:
To my self I do not belong

:- Doug.