Image source: a_purple_turtle
Gibraltar sports a town square officially called “John Mackintosh Square”. My grandfather’s generation called this square “el martillo” (the hammer) in reference to the auctioneer’s gavel, as this was the place where public auctions were held. El martillo was the place where my grandpa’s generation would meet, and solve the world’s problems over a cup of tea. We risk losing that in Gibraltar – the power of conversations.
Words have power. Words can create a reality into which we step and re-frame our understanding of world-views, situations, challenges and crises. We have the privilege, and the responsibility, to change the world. We work towards leaving a legacy for a generation that we will never get to see – a better world, a life that is enriched and where the summit of our achievement becomes the foundation stone of the next generation’s work. This cannot happen without conversations – without the power of words – indeed, it is contingent upon it.
We face global challenges that require global conversations:
- Global warming
- Poverty
- Aids
- Abortion
- An undermining of traditional family values in the West
- Conflicts and wars
- The merging of an ideology of terror that risks moving into the mainstream of certain religions
- An increasingly disenchanted youth in the West that is resorting to a culture of knives, guns and violence
Solutions to these challenges will emerge out of conversations – paradigms need to be redrawn; insights into problems will be revealed; new solutions to challenges will arise when these conversations take place. It is good to talk – we need to talk. It is time to speak into many of these seemingly intractable problems and challenges. We need to recover “el martillo” in our generation, a place where conversations happen….. and lives are changed.
Never has there been so much technology available for the propagation of conversations. Bloggers are becomingly increasingly influential in the political scene in the US, a testimonial to the power of words. They are now a force to be reckoned with, which any aspiring candidate ignores to his or her own peril. I love blogging, I love social media, I love conversations. Popular video websites such as Youtube have become a phenomenon and are uniquely placed to assist us in our endeavour (It has recently been reported that Youtube hosted 50 billion videos……..this month!).
I live for the day when these “new” media re-write the rules of journalism, television, education, and communication. I find it remarkable how a blogger can effectively shape the political discourse of a nation, tapping away on his laptop’s keyboard whilst having a latte at his favourite coffee shop.
The media is there, and the tools are there. Will you find your voice? Will you speak out? More importantly in any conversation…. will you listen?
Technorati Tags: Blogging, Conversations, Speech, Words
