How much thought & care do we put into the quality of what we're about to say? Yet the quality of our conversations reflects the overall quality of our lives - at work, at play, as well as at home.
This is from Mongolia, roughly 50 years ago.
“We were all gathered around the oil lamp, and the conversation was quiet, harmonious, unhurried. We took turns speaking. Mother and Father usually reported what had happened during the day. Grandma added explanations and time and again developed them into stories. Nobody interrupted her, nobody interrupted anybody, everybody got rid of what was on his or her mind. And nobody interrupted what they were busy doing, either.
Everybody listened to the conversation, including the children, who were (playing) … and they loved it. It felt so good to play. Yet the children never lost track of the conversation even though they would not butt in unless they were asked a question. Everybody took part in everything. Sometimes there was a longer pause, but nobody ever rushed to break in. Rather, we would let it last and muse upon it. This way everybody seemed to be getting prepared for the night’s rest.”
Galsan Tschinag “The Blue Sky.” Milkweed Editions, 2006.
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