The Importance of Discussion

We have often asked, “what is the importance of discussion?” And, “why do we need it?” Well, we need discussion because it is the root of connection and happens everywhere. Discussion is the question, and the talk that follows, of “why? Why are things the way they are?” and so on. Without discussion, we would never get to grow as human beings. There would be no way that we could share our experiences, build off of others’ past mistakes and find what it truly means to appreciate diversity and other people and their opinions. We would all be engulfed in this idea that we cannot possibly be wrong and would never change as individuals or as a society. There would be no presidents or foreign policy, no medicine or science and mathematical achievements, no entertainment, no structure or government, no communication or team work, and no reason to help one another, but we would all be vulnerable to becoming slaves to a hierarchy and an evil which would have no opposition.

So, we need more free thinkers, because we can’t have a meaningful discussion without being free thinkers. We need people who develop logical opinions and take a stance on issues, but are not “too big” to listen to others or change themselves, and discussion breeds just that. Discussion is not an old couple waiting for their partner to stop making noise so they can tell the other how they’re wrong, discussion is people coming together to make points, relate to one another, respectfully listen, and compromise or in many cases agree to disagree, which is essentially the same as that word no one likes talking about which is: “coexist”. It is ok to disagree with people. Some people will never get along with you or agree with anything you say, but it is important for us to know that these disagreements exist and it is important we hear them. I’m not saying that we always need to integrate, and sometimes that just won’t be possible, but without open discussion and free thinkers there would be no opposition to anything. There would be no push back that regulates us and works to ensure that we don’t kill each other and that we act fairly to one another. Discussion is the leading force of growth in the world as it helps us see multiple viewpoints on many different topics, bringing opposition to arguments with multiple stances it must start to be practiced at a young age, in our schools and homes, through the classroom, through art, science, politics, and practically everything in our daily lives.

Stories are a type of discussion because we learn from the stories we are told, read, grow up with ect. but do we learn more from the stories themselves or the conversation we have about the stories? We debate the exacts of how Aragorn and Sam were able to resist the power of the ring and help Frodo while Boromir fell to it, and the extent of religious involvement in Star Wars and what George Lucas meant by it. These debates that make us look at things through different eyes result in us thinking about our favorite books and movies in new ways that often times results in an entirely new meaning of these stories and characters. Whether we learn a little about someone’s life, or the human condition through this art form, we are still getting a new insight, someone’s point of view. Often times movies and books are made with the direct purpose of igniting discussion, forcing the audience to talk about it.

Every piece of literature is a commentary on the human condition. Movies like 12 Years a Slave open our eyes to slavery and what life may have actually been like back then, while books like 1984 are a totally fictional story warning us of what may come. 12 Years a Slave brings us into the past to understand the condition and history of black people in America at the time, and 1984 shows us the dangers of control in our current society by incorporating elements of the day into the story with the fictional freedom of practically no limitations. Both pieces made us as an audience talk about the human condition today, and of relevance to our own lives, how we are still affected and what actions we take next.

It's great that we have these discussions in adult life, but we need to ensure that when we are having these discussions, and they are meaningful and directed at important topics with open minds. In many American high schools, it is very cut and dry, students usually do busy work in classes and the only open discussions are generally major assignments. It seems like this would be counter active with a lot of high schools, as many of their missions are to “prepare students for college” when around 35% of high schoolers don’t go to college, and end up going straight into the real world. How are those students going to get the education we need to thrive in a democracy? How are they going to get the “freeing education” that turns them into free thinkers? Because our institutions have this idea that everyone goes to college, when there is drastic evidence to prove otherwise, we do not prepare ourselves to be open people who make their own decisions and argue their own stances unless we attend college, which many people only go through to get a degree for a job so they can have a “good” or “prosperous life” rather than in search of a good education.  

In high school, we absorb information about history, science or religion, literature, and whatever other topics the school decides to teach, which differs with each school Board of Education. We are not taught to decide what is right and wrong, question what we are told, or to share what we think on different topics, while in an article by Humphreys and Carnevale called “The Economic Case for Liberal Education,” 95% of employers say that “a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major.” So why is it that a large portion of our society does not ever learn to discuss? We depend on one source to dictate all our knowledge, because no institution or authority wants to be questioned, but we need to learn to question what we believe and why we know. We need to learn to speak up and make arguments without losing our morals or the ability to respect opposing opinions. We need to be able to be that power that listens. We need to start teaching kids to say, “I respect you, I respect you have your opinion, I can see (or am learning) where you’re coming from, and X and Y are good points. These are my opinions, and why I think this.” Discussion is vital to democracy and the only place we’re really teaching it is in college, leaving a large portion of our citizenry unqualified to make a change in the democratic society.

Don’t lose sight of my point now, because I am not telling you we should all become anarchists, I am saying that we need to start more open discussions in high schools so we can increase the number of independent thinkers in our nation so we may have more intelligent contributors to the democracy. I do believe that our government has done good, and I am saddened by our measly voter turnout, and yes, I have thought before that not voting would have been the best option. What we need is not to fight our government but to work with it to create global order and freedom by keeping ourselves in check through discussion and debates, but we also need a government that will listen to the population. It shouldn’t have to be a system of the many making demands from the few. The few should already support and represent the many.

Discussion introduces us to all of these new thoughts we may or may not agree with, but it also lets us contribute our thoughts and allows for others to think about what we said. It reduces our egos so we no longer think we know everything, and aren’t too stubborn to make a change. Democracy is already too cluttered with personal interest so we must learn to listen, for if we are closed minded people then we are no better than those we oppose. We cannot preach the liberty of education and equality in this way and not practice it ourselves. We need not only teach the idea and practice of open discussion, because that is what democracy is founded on, but also how to discuss in a respectful way, because if we can’t do that right then it’s like we aren’t doing it at all.

Whether our discussion is internal or external, over pop-culture or politics, we must start to teach everyone in our democratic republic of a society how to do so, and do it effectively. Like scientists with research, we must look at our discussions with open eyes and minds, see all the facts, and make a decision based off of them. To create independent, intelligent thinkers we must start with our children. From our first words, through all levels of schooling, to the day we die we must learn to share knowledge and respectfully communicate with each other and overcome obstacles together, which must be started in our homes as well as our public education, for if we leave anyone out of the discussion we leave them out of our democracy, out of the intelligent world of growth, out of what should be our daily lives.

Oct. 10, 2016