Everything exists only in conversation
“Everything exists only in conversation.” This is the quote one of the facilitators of Youth at Risk, started his pre-course day with. Sitting in front of him were 21 young boys and girls, on average 17 years old. Not easy stuff! I was sitting in the back of the big room, with a lot of other volunteers who make this program possible.
Not every ‘thing’ exists in conversation, but ‘I’ exist also only in conversation! For most of the people this is a totally inner conversation – between me and myself – but what if I can embrace this quote as: I exists only in the conversations I have with other people? Then who was I yesterday when I listened to this facilitator, and who was I a few hours ago in conversation with Pierre, his wife and two of his friends?
Then where does I exist? Where is the conversation happening? In myself? In the others (too)? Or is the conversation happening in the ‘in-between-ness’; in this empty void? Which is according to Ervin Lazlo, not empty at all, but full of energy.
Are we shaping this energy between us through our conversations?