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There is a blog called “Conversation as a co-evolutionary force” hosted by the Word Café that recently had an interesting post: “Maturana and humanness” written by Juanita Brown, one of the originators of The World Café. After a visit to the Institute of Professor Humberto Maturana in Chile, she wrote some reflections.

Maturana explains (in Juanita’s words):

“Humanness is not a genetic mutation. It is a manner of living where there is pleasure in each other’s company, sharing food, nearness, caressing and tenderness – nor is the capacity for language a genetic mutation – it is an evolutionary drift emerging from the intimacy of human community and the coordination of actions in language together.  It is in the intimate community where humanness arises as a network of conversations that is conserved over generations as a lineage through the raising of children over hundreds of generations in manners of living that are conserved in that lineage.  Humanness did not arise in competition, struggle etc.  It arose in intimate family/community co-existence.”

Inside images

Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela have done some interesting scientific work on cognitive systems, in plain language: how our mind works. Their research has shown that we as humans live inside the images we hold of the world. This is true even for how we perceive colours. We think our individual understanding of the world is absolute and correct, a representation of what is out there, but it is not. We live very much in our thoughts about the world and in our thoughts about the people around us. Our culture has favoured conceptualization for a long time and as a result we get stuck in preconceived ideas of reality.

Conversations

Maturana also says that we as humans “live in our language” and through the networks our conversations, we bring forth a world.  We shape our culture. Dialogue is our human way of creating and sustaining the realities in which we live.  We think and coordinate our actions together through conversation. We create through our talking, for good or for bad, we know that. What a responsibility!

Networks of intimate conversations are true humanness. Mindful conversations, an evolutionary force, that shapes the future, how about that?

Create opportunities

What if we designed our lives and communities according to these (scientific) truths? What if we let go of our own stiff ideas and began to listen deeply to each other? What if our future on earth depends on that we on purpose create opportunities for conversations?

We believe that if we inform people enough, they will choose the right things. No, it doesn’t work as we think, because it is one-way communication. There is no cooperation and involvement. It is someone telling others what to do.

In the family

Think about it in a family setting. We ought to create opportunities for intimate conversations with our mate. That’s not always easy and automatic. As time goes by in a relationship and, since we often live a busy life, we develop separate worlds. Instead of living in two worlds, you and your mate could create a world together. Living with each other is listening deeply to each other. What if love is not something that suddenly comes and one day just disappears, but something that grows and is nurtured in close conversations.

Think about your children. What if intimate and personal conversations are the main ingredient in bringing up children. Taking the time. Listening. It is better to create a shared understanding, interest and involvement than commanding them what to do and what not to do. As your children grow up and become teenagers their world of thoughts change and you can be left behind. You might want them to come to your world,  but I believe there is a fantastic possibility in respectfully growing together with your teenagers.

In the city

Think about it in a wider setting, concerning city planning and administration. We ought to create places and opportunities for intimate conversation all over the city. We should plan our libraries and meeting halls so that they are inviting for small conversations; build cafés acoustically for easy talking. It is especially important to create opportunities for people from different backgrounds, different ages, different interests and different kind of positions and ethnicity to meet and talk. Let’s work on tearing down barriers and fragmentation.  What if small intimate conversations are the key to a thriving city?

Your city

I have a number of friends who are also thinking along these lines and we explore the possibilities together. What can we do for our city? What can you do for your city?