Middle Ways in Dialogue

Personally, philosophically and possibly politically...

I recently spoke to Jacob Kishere about the power of inquiry, combining deep listening with critical thinking, plus an awareness of interconnection.

We began by discussing our involvement in Embracing Change – a men’s group I ran last year with Matthew Green. Its aim was to offer a supportive space to explore what matters to us, not to define what it meant to be men.

As I put it to Jacob, it was more about just being human with other men. I’m not even sure it makes much sense to define things as “masculine”, except biologically. We all express a wide range of qualities to differing degrees, like giant graphic equalisers.

If one imagines how these patterns interact, the world becomes a web of complex spectrums, with intersecting binaries. Few things exist at the extremes. Most of life is somewhere in the middle – including understanding. In some ways, this dovetails with yoga philosophy, transcending opposites to reach integration.

This is the basis of the model of dialogue that Jacob practises, which we sought to embody in our conversation. Part of the point is to be open to change, as opposed to exchanging preconceptions. As Jacob notes:

“This shift is quite distinct from being ‘educated’ or re-programmed at the level of propositions, concepts, or language. What we learn and exchange in Dialogos are ways of seeing and being.”