At times, “talking rubbish” can be a good thing. Let me explain.
Too often in a conversation, while trying to make sense of an issue, we find ourselves saying something that we immediately realize is ill-conceived.
Our conversational partner picks up on it a little more quickly than we do and attacks us. We cannot help but go on the defense, and the free flow of the conversation is destroyed.
If our partner is a good conversationalist, however, they do not attack us, but that is another story. More and more, I find myself using the following words in a conversation.
I’m thinking out loud here; what I say could well be a load of rubbish, so please bear with me.
Then when I’m informed that I am talking a load of rubbish, I can quickly reply, “I told you so,” and laugh. The conversation then naturally moves on.
Jordan Peterson explains why it is crucial to talk rubbish in this video clip on the importance of free speech.
Paradoxically, at times, it is through talking rubbish that we make sense of the world.
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Knowledge Letter: Issue: 248 (Subscribe)
Tags: conversation (186) | freedom of speech (15) | sense-making (41)
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Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public Domain)