The Lost Art of Good Conversation

August 14, 2017
Conversation can help in “bringing light to a dark age,” according to Mipham (Running with the Mind of Meditation), who offers a hopeful alternative to distracted, technology-based communication and polarized discourse in this succinct handbook. “By not having conversations, we’re forgetting how to feel,” he writes, urging people to “use speech to awaken naturally good qualities in ourselves and others.” Providing guidance grounded in his spiritual traditions (he is head of a worldwide Shambhala community), Mipham explores effective and intentional aspects of conversation and suggests concrete strategies for beginning and ending conversations, choosing appropriate topics, giving and taking feedback, and talking to those with whom one may have significant disagreements. Simple reflective practices are included. Mipham nudges readers to talk face-to-face with other human beings on the basis of respect, kindness, and compassion to promote mutual well-being, rather than to persuade or control. Despite some vague writing and use of terms specific to Shambhala, this wise and informative guide lays out a path towards genuine human connection and community in difficult times and should have broad appeal.