In the past five years I’ve sat in on and attended dozens of panels. Tonight I sat in on another. As I sat and listened to the questions and answers, it made me think of just how much better other things would be if we would only just sit down and not just talk, but actually listen to each other.
The topic of tonight’s panel discussion dealt with heroes and villains. Of course, it could have been a host of other topics and the authors and illustrators would have done equally well. Each was respectful to each other and to us, the audience. Each had an opportunity to express their views and opinions. And when the last question had been answered, everyone left hopefully improved in some way.
Now, the answers to life’s great questions were not discovered. We didn’t unlock the mysteries of the universe. We talked about heroes and villains, and what the panelists thought about what those words mean. But just think if more serious issues were discussed in just such a manner. Maybe they are, but we don’t see those. We are the tweet, the ten-second video clip, the sound bite, the “zinger.” This might get views but nothing gets accomplished.
And maybe that’s why I found tonight’s discussion so refreshing. It was a group of people talking and another group listening. And both groups came away better.
The topic of tonight’s panel discussion dealt with heroes and villains. Of course, it could have been a host of other topics and the authors and illustrators would have done equally well. Each was respectful to each other and to us, the audience. Each had an opportunity to express their views and opinions. And when the last question had been answered, everyone left hopefully improved in some way.
Now, the answers to life’s great questions were not discovered. We didn’t unlock the mysteries of the universe. We talked about heroes and villains, and what the panelists thought about what those words mean. But just think if more serious issues were discussed in just such a manner. Maybe they are, but we don’t see those. We are the tweet, the ten-second video clip, the sound bite, the “zinger.” This might get views but nothing gets accomplished.
And maybe that’s why I found tonight’s discussion so refreshing. It was a group of people talking and another group listening. And both groups came away better.
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