Martin Luther King Day is observed in the United States of America on the third Monday of January each year. This year it fell on January 16. It is a day set aside to remember the life and legacy of one of America’s greatest moral heroes. For those of us who lived through those times …
Author: Geoff Boyce
Ideologism
Let’s go to Brazil and sit back to enjoy the brilliance of Playing for Change musicians – in this case, featuring Carlos Santana. The piece is “Oye cómo va”. It was written and recorded by Tito Puente and his orchestra in 1962. The name of the song is taken from its refrain: “Oye cómo va, …
Irony Season
Christmas is the ultimate irony, isn’t it? Christmas – the birthday of Christian history, two thousand years ago. And that world was so full of horror. An occupied country…a king so desperate to hold on to his crown that he ordered the slaughter of all male babies on the strength of the rumour that a …
Retrospective
Two professional artists turned up to ‘The Listening Table’ this week. As you might expect, all of us were interested in their work. They themselves would be happy to talk (if they had photos of their work with them) and we would all like to listen (and learn). So next week we decided to deviate …
A Listening Conversation
I wonder whether you will be as surprised as I was to find out that, according to my computer’s Thesaurus and Dictionary, listening is an antonym (an opposite) to conversation? Conversation is defined as “an informal discussion of a topic among two or more people,” while listening is described as “giving one’s attention to sound.” …
Read the full post →“<strong>A Listening Conversation</strong>”
More Than a Shop
In my last post I introduced you to Jeremy, who runs the Acustico Cafe, just off Sydney Road in Brunswick, Melbourne. He ‘gets it’ – the way Radical Hospitality builds community and transforms lives. So what better place to begin an experiment about Listening, so fundamental to nurturing hospitality in the community. Today, on the …
Discovering a Listening Place
I was so impressed with the atmosphere of a local cafe in Melbourne I visited earlier this year that I couldn’t resist having a chat with Jeremy, its owner/manager. I discovered two things that got me excited. One is that he is committed to the idea that his cafe could be a welcoming, friendly hub …
Urban Confessional
A man walks out on his marriage. He walks the streets. In his anguish he calls someone. He gets ‘heard’. This moment gives birth to a world-wide movement of all kind of everyday people committed to the power of listening. This is his story.
Sidewalk Talk
The Sandy Hook Massacre and subsequent other mass shootings in US schools convinced a psychotherapist she had to do something as a citizen outside the limitations of her professional practice. In conjunction with other therapists she came up with the idea of taking connecting and listening to the streets. Now ‘ordinary people’ are joining the …
Heart On My Sleeve
This is one person’s story about finding release from the pain of pretending that ‘I’m OK’ when I’m not. It’s a story of extremes: of wealth and success on the one hand, while hiding inner struggles on the other. But don’t let the extremes put you off. You may not be driving an expensive sports …