Keep talking

Eight years ago in Norway, a single man killed 77 people, many of them children and young adults. Some few days later, one of the survivors of the massacre quoted the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who said:

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming".

It has been difficult all these years to have a conversation about what nourished his ideology of hate. 

Some say that we must not put limits to the public debate, as it will put a limit to express opposition against a multicultural society. 

I believe that dialogue can improve that exchange, and not limit it. How? 

Because we are not using all layers of communication if we believe that debate is the only way to move forward. 

We can do better than just shout. 

We can create open public dialogues, safe spaces for dialogue, using all three layers of communication. What are those three layers? The most visible, and the one most recognizable is about our positions. Below there are layers of interests, values and needs. Those are not easily accesible, and requires time and trust. 

But what′s the point with dialogue? It is about learning, which is not the same as accepting the unacceptable.

A dialogue process takes time and it is difficult.

What is the worse thing that can happen if societies use dialogue? Perhaps to build bridges to places where we no longer go and find better solutions.

Let us keep talking. 

New flowers are coming.