Postcard from the Edge

What if conversations had rights?

I find it interesting how ideas and images find their way to my attention unbidden. I have been thinking a lot about conversations and how they enable the power of ideas to find traction.

I have been in so many conversations that have the potential to change things but are closed down because we run out of time, people’s attention is already on the next meeting of the day, or the conversation has the potential to bring unwelcome things to our attention and is closed down.

So often, our conversations are invisible. They become sterile, with words and signals being exchanged without being paid as much attention as the coffee we order.

I wonder what might be different if our conversations had a sense of their own potential, and a voice.

What could be different if we gave conversation rights—a right to be heard, paid attention to, and respected for their potential—and the right to protest or to go on strike?

What if we measured waste in terms of ideas present in conversations but never surf…