Some readers know a few of us started a monthly discussion group. It meets on the First Tuesday evening of the month. At 6:30 pm. At the Panera Bread in Wheaton in Rice Lake Square on Butterfield Road. A nice quiet, private space in which up to 20 people can gather and talk about a topic featured for the evening, or anything else that’s on their minds.
So far we have discussed the role of local government units, China’s role as global citizen, and a couple of others that slip my mind. On the to-do docket are Saving the Planet, What to do about school shootings, and many more.
We begin each program with a 10 or 15 minute introduction of the topic by someone with subject experience. Then we proceed with questions and answers, all the while keeping tempers and ideology in check. This is an evening of civil discussion that aims to educate rather than dominate. Conclusions belong to each person as they use the information in their own thinking process for months afterward.
Civil discussion. In our own time. Freedom to think. Openness to connecting various disciplines to further understand the topic under examination. Intelligent application of experience, history, formal and casual education and gathering of facts. Refreshing. Edifying.
Eye-popping, too.
If this interests you, please drop in for an evening or a lifetime. It’s what we do. We need to do this. For our own sanity and balance. If it catches on, we will increase frequency of sessions. The people drive this process, not some mysterious committee. Just coordinators of topics, speakers and space. No judgments. Just civil discussion.
No notes taken, either. Just thinking outside the box and free association of data where it matters.
May 14, 2019
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