I begin something small — something wonderfully slow. From April 15, I invite people to Conversations in Silence at Living Studio. Quietly, and against the spirit of our time. I do so as part of my ongoing project, New Ways to Break the Paradox of Modern Happiness.
We do not lack knowledge – we lack space
Look at social media and the news: Messages, headlines, advice, books, projects, expectations, and opinions constantly flying around. And then there is everything related to artificial intelligence — chatbots, polarised debates, and fake news.
No one can keep up. We become mentally overwhelmed. Some years ago, I wrote articles for Point of View International arguing that our brains are threatened by information pollution. Some called it a claim. I still call it a fact — supported by insights from psychologists, physicians, and neuroscientists.
Yet we rarely speak about it in these terms. Perhaps we should. Perhaps public health authorities should even establish an office dedicated to combating and preventing information pollution.
We take our point of departure far away
Simple evenings are one of the many small steps I choose to experiment with.
I invite you to something I believe we too rarely give ourselves time for — Conversations in Silence:
- You lie comfortably on a yoga mat, supported by cushions and blankets.
- You listen to carefully selected excerpts from international bestsellers.
- You reflect, and we gently open the space for dialogue and small conversations.
- We land softly and conclude together.
On the first evening, we take our point of departure far away from everyday life and work.
The conversations revolve around joy
We travel to Dharamsala, in the Himalayan region of India, where we encounter the Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama and the South African archbishop Desmond Tutu back in 2015 in warm, heartfelt conversations grounded in their close friendship.
The conversations revolve around joy. They carry deep wisdom. Is wisdom precisely what we modern human beings so easily forget — in all our busyness, in the flood of notifications, in the pursuit of efficiency and the perfect life?
This does not solve anything
The evenings are non-commercial — and you are most welcome. Conversations in Silence do not solve anything in themselves. But perhaps they allow something essential to return — to you and to me.
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