Enriching Conversations

 

“Ultimately, the bond of all companionship in our relationships with others, is conversation.”

(Oscar Wilde)

 

In recent months I have enjoyed some extraordinarily enriching conversations with young people from all walks of life, and they reminded me of the words of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu: “We are prisoners of hope”

 

Archbishop Tutu made his comment at a time when his people were living in fear and dreading a violent death, and those words were also the essence of what these young men and women felt. The level of uncertainty that is now prevailing and the distress that it brings do not alter their confidence for a brighter future.

 

The conversations I had also highlighted the value of encounter and dialogue. They open to us the possibility of liberating ourselves from the erroneous perceptions we may unfortunately have of others. At times we, the elders of this generation, tend to ignore the voices of our children and grandchildren. So, it is important that, in our quest to build a greater spirit of understanding amongst those who are different from us, there is room for frank and healthy dialogue, especially between the different age groups.

 

One of the good things about the recent summer break was that it enabled me to have plenty of time to engage in informal but interesting conversations with many younger people while being free from the usual daily pressures of life. During these wonderful times of sharing, I came to appreciate through their questions the concern of our young people as they spelled out their convictions and dreams for the world we live in.

 

In any sphere of life where dialogue or a conversation has a rightful place, there should be room for questions. In my present role, I do like to be questioned and I like to question others too. It helps us to know more of others and of their expectations of life.

 

This is a model that I can see in Jesus as he meets with people. The dialogue he had with others was filled with questions. In effect he was offering  space to the other; it was an invitation. In such journeys of encounter and dialogue, one comes to discover the other as being precious, unique and that he / she possesses the qualities and riches that our broken world needs.

 

In the course of a recent conversation, I had with a young woman of 19, I was surprised to learn that after being brought up in an atheist family, she is now enrolled as a student in Theology. She shared with me that following conversations with her peers, teachers and pastors, she felt that she needed to engage with the world she lived in. This has brought her to where she is now: living and enjoying a spiritual journey.

 

She like many others gave me hope that we can  further our dreams for a better world. In many parts of the world, people are reacting forcefully against the way they are governed as they live in the fear of the pandemic. The fear of the disbanding of community life seems to haunt many as a spirit of division is growing in some quarters. This causes great concern for many of our young people. They want to distinguish themselves from the opinions and attitudes of their elders. So, it is time that we give them the space they need to engage into conversation that will bring a greater spirit of companionship as we seek to build in the aftermath of the pandemic a different world: a world filled with HOPE.

 

+Ian Ernest