I was supposed to post this blog yesterday.

Well, not this blog. I had something else lined up. But I didn’t feel like doing it, so I decided to put off blogging until today.

And, well…

A lot happened in a few hours.

So I want to talk about something that should be commonplace. Should be the definition of commonplace–of mundane, ordinary, everyday life–but has somehow become an oddity.

Tell me–when did conversation become a dirty word?

Everything communicates

Every creature communicates with its kind somehow.

Like, look at ants.

They release pheromones to tell each other about nearby danger or food. They can even use vibrations to talk to a large number of themselves at a time.

According to Washington State University:

When some species of ants realize that their nest is under threat from a predator like an anteater, they can release pheromones. But they might also drum their mouth-parts, called mandibles, or use their abdomens to make a vibration. The vibration shakes through the nest, and other ants feel it with hair-like organs on their legs called sensilla.

First of all: that’s pretty cool in and of itself. I could do a whole blog on the coolness of insects and bugs and all that jazz.

Second of all: we’re better than ants. No offense to the ants–I mean, ants are pretty cool–but people are way advanced. We’ve got thoughts and emotions and driver’s licenses.

And how do we communicate?

We use words, among other things like actions and expressions.

But mainly we use words. We talk.

I.e., we converse.

We have conversation.

Sorry to explain it like you’re seven. But it’s important that we’re clear.

Conversation is so mundane it’s at the root of how we interact with each other.

Or…rather, it was.

It should be.

Too much doing…

Not to disagree with Elvis, but we could really use a little more conversation and a little less action, please.

Am I saying we should never act? Never do? Just yap all day?

I’m saying we, as a society, are so swept up in doing that we forget about everything else. We forget what it means to hear. To connect with our fellows on the level of discussion. To see the person saying the words you don’t like–or, sometimes, even the person saying the words you do like.

In the eyes of so many, people have simply become vessels for opinions. Outside of what they believe, they have no value.

I don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous that is…

Conversation is how we engage. So how do you do that in an age where every opinion is taken as a controversial one? Where every line of dialogue is risk?

You’re not going to like my answer.

Ready?

You do it anyway. And make sure you mean it.

As a wise man once said:

“When people stop talking, that’s when violence happens.”

-Charlie kirk

I know you’re with the Lord, Charlie. I’ll see you when I get there.

---