"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt said that. I'm still guilty of finding pleasure in shallow conversation, but that quote has prompted me to steer away from dulling, thoughtless topics and gravitate toward great ones. Shallow conversation isn't always bad. "What did you do today?" and "Who won the game?" aren't awful questions. Their answers are simple and can be satisfying. Maybe it's more the disposition of being easily satisfied that Eleanor detests. Small stomachs that hunger for no more than succinct answers. Sometimes that's me, but I don't want it to be.
I have some friends who I can always count on to sharpen me. I did lunch with one of them the other week and came to a new appreciation of her. I've thought about the things we talked about, but only to a certain point. When we converse, her ideas actually infuse into my mind. Think about that--someone else's ideas being transplanted into your mind, things that weren't there before are now alive and kicking in your thoughts! Then my thoughts grow and ricochet back to her mind. The idea starts out as a tennis ball, but by the end of the match it's a hundred of them, some larger than others.
I like when those tennis balls start to grow.
No comments:
Post a Comment