Holding space

It’s a subtle art form. The reason is that we struggle so much to hold the space to listen to conflicting opinions and ideas. We have heard all our lives that we shouldn’t discuss religion, politics, or controversy at the dinner table. Teaching people to not hold space for others in the process. Ironically, we reinforce this idea that we can only have a strong relationship if we talk about the things we agree with. I think this is all wrong. What we should do is decide which level of conversation is appropriate for this situation. Level 5 can be deep intimate conversations about the most controversial topics. All the way down to Level 1 which is talking about weather and sports. Superficial to controversial can be viewed as a spectrum. We don’t need to have Level 5 conversations with people just cause they are family. We can decide and dictate based on where relationships are at in the moment.