A Monument To the Art of Conversation
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A Powerful Proposition
Research has shown that we need to communicate with
others because it keeps us healthier. There has been a direct link to mental and physical health. In October 2021, the C.D.C. reported that the frequency of anxiety and depression symptoms among American adults increased during the 2021 winter COVID-19 surge and fell by June 2021. Despite the drop, researchers found the frequency of anxiety and depression remained substantially higher than compared to before the pandemic.
During the pandemic many people shut down physical
face to face conversation, a necessity, by relying on a device to connect with someone. While a device may be a convenience— speaking in terms of texts, emails, and apps--it also is a controlled response which can be edited, deleted, retouched, and allows the sender the ability to present the self as he/she wants to be. Communicating by means of conversation means connecting with another human being. It is a powerful proposition.
Good Rx
People who communicate: >Have less stress on their minds and their bodies. >Helps influence the way that we perceive ourselves. >Have social needs met. >Maintain healthy daily routines >Exchange helpful information or solve problems
The Proposal Location: Set on a flat patio space shaded by trees in spring/summer and in the sun during winter. Located on campus near a lot of foot traffic but not in the pathway of it, seeing but not hearing conversation.
Design: The base of the monument is a flat surface in a semi-circular shape. In the center there are three small tables with two seats facing one another. On one side of the monument there would be a large vertical wall anchored by rounded and open seating on each side. The tables have conversation starter questions chiseled into them. The vertical wall is left blank to enable freeform use. These formats could be a film projection of a conversation or a temporary mural could be painted. The side seating are smoothly finished to foster open communication.
The Annual Event: In the early fall as summer ends and people return to a more regular schedule, the question of the year would be unveiled. Students, faculty and visitors would be invited to the space for conversation. It would be open for conversation at any time.
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Everyone has something to share.
What is the good life and are we living it? What does it mean to be free? What are your pet peeves? What is your most prized possession and why? How do you define your family now? What is your definition of success? What are you most proud of in the last year? How can someone lose your trust? Do you believe in second chances? Where do you get your news? How do you define beauty? Do you believe in life on other planets? What’s on your bucket list? If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? If you could time travel, when and where would it be? I f you could change anything about yourself, what would it be and why?
The best ideas start as conversations. --Jonathan Ive
“It takes two to speak the truth -
one to speak and another to hear.” --Henry David Thoreau
at’s e table. Th th f o le d in the mid l Humm ere’s stuff th en h en. --Danie w p e p a h s n o It’s nic ti est conversa when the b
0 in “The art of conversation lies in listening” --Malcolm Forbes
“When we listen, we hear someone into existence.” --Laurie Buchanan, PhD “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”--Leo Buscaglia “The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.” ― William Hazlitt,
“We have two ears and only one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less.” --Diogenes Laertius
“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” ― Ralph G. Nichols