We Are Conver-Cultural.

What is it about “culture”? It is a living, breathing, ever changing aspect in each of our lives. The word itself has too many connotations to fully discuss here. It is widely used in both the micro [c]ulture sense and in the macro [C]ulture sense. In defining c[C]ulture we can fall victim to shallow generalizations on one extreme and narrow specificities on the other.

Business leaders often talk about creating healthy corporate culture, Religious leaders often talk about reaching “the” Culture, our neighborhoods have a culture, and so do our families, book clubs, and favorite watering holes. At Elements, we believe it is at the core of what it means to be human to long for these c[C]ulture[s] to be whole and life-giving places.

However we choose to understand/articulate/discuss it, one thing is true; each of us, by our very presence on the planet, by participating in the exchange of human interaction are shaping and being shaped by c[C]ulture[s] everyday. {An author named Andy Crouch coined this concept of human beings as culture-makers, to check out more click here.}

One of the most basic ways that we make culture is through our conversations. It is for this reason that conversations matter deeply – or at least they should. This specific type of human exchange writes a story – it creates c[C]ulture. This is not conversation in the idle-chatter-to-fill-dead-air sense, but the exchange of ideas in rhythmic step with the actions of our lives. Our conversations are not only what we say but also what we do. These conversations of word and deed write a story of what we value, and in turn shape the world(s) in which we live.

This has massive implications. If our most essentially human interactions create c[C]ulture, and that c[C]ulture in turn becomes a framework that governs our lives, we ought to take these conversations very seriously. Not serious in the sense that we must grapple philosophically at every turn, or that they must never be fun – but that we realize we have a role to play in the shaping of each culture we encounter and the resulting Culture(s) that seemingly “encounter” us.

Many change agents throughout history have advocated the idea of being counter-cultural. At Elements we believe this misses the point. We feel our opportunity lies in becoming more intentionally conver-cultural. To be conver-cultural is to recognize that our conversations, our words and actions, create c[C]ulture – and as such, have the power to change the world.

At Elements we hope in some small way to foster the space necessary for these types of conversations – the conversations that create positive c[C]ulture. This isn’t something we can manufacture or sell – it must be a collective effort. We’re all already conversing, but what are we making? It’s time we all became aware of the conversations we’re having and listen to the conversations happening around us. It’s time for us to be conver-cultural – in our words and our actions.

by: Dan Bryan