I am a sucker for good conversations, and I think about them frequently, (check out Part One). I have even noticed that I get grumpy if I haven't had a good conversation for some a couple days. This leads to the obvious question: What makes a good conversation?
For me it takes a few things.
1) It's got to be back and forth. It doesn't have to be 50-50 but it has to be close, and both people have to participate in the meat of the conversation actually sharing opinions/feelings/ideas.
2)Content. This one is tricky. There seem to be about four types of conversations. People talk about people, places, things, or ideas. Each can revolve around stories that apply to the subject at hand. Some conversations can combine these things. My favorite is when ideas are involved, but other than that I am usually pretty flexible. As in I like conversations talking about how different people react to a certain situation and why, but I also enjoy talking about how things can affect culture. Whatever, and there are a lot of other examples, but I get bored or I just don't feel fulfilled after a conversation if it was only a rehash of people someone has met, movies someone as seen, places someone went or things people like to do.
OK. I guess I will take it back, it only takes two things for me to like a conversation. Although if I get to learn something that is a bonus.
What I find fascinating and also depressing is it seems impossible to have a good conversation with most people. I realize that many people just don't talk ideas but I have found that those who do usually need a lot of time to warm up to the subject or warm up to the person. As in you have to be really close friends to talk ideas. . .
Which begs another question, or at least it does to me. Why are people so reticent to talk ideas? Is there something in our culture that suggests it's not appropriate? (So is this common in most cultures?) Or are people just too curled up to talk?
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