About us
Our goal is to build relationships over substantial conversations.
It's a simple setup: an interesting topic, some discussion questions and scenarios to jumpstart table talk.
There are only four rules to Table Conversations to make sure things stay (or end) with some degree of civility:
1. Don't be a Jerk.
2. Don't be a Wuss.
3. Eat and be merry.
4. Have grace.
We've had success with this format because it's hard to find a place for invigorating conversations because many of us are too worried about offending other people. At Table Conversations we encourage the opposite: offend, but do with a smile. Forget about trying to be 'kind' for a bit, and share you're opinion, and be ready to hear the opinions of people who likely share drastically different perspectives.
We started at Liberty Cafe in Feb 2013, outgrew the space and shifted to a church hall, Once the pandemic started we shifted to Zoom and have been regularly ever since.
Upcoming events
1
Thank you! A conversation about gratitude
Zoom Meeting, Credentials will be sent to eligible attendees, Victoria, bc, CAMany people say "thanks" without really thinking about the underlying meaning of the word. It's just "what you say". Tonight we'll be exploring gratitude more deeply.
- Is gratitude necessary for social cohesion, or do we as a society not really need it?
- How do YOU define gratitude?
- Is gratitude necessarily associated with religion?
- Do we benefit from being grateful? If so, how? If not, why not?
- What kind of thing is gratitude? Is it an emotion? An attitude? An action? Something else?
- The simplest concrete example of gratitude seems to be saying ’thanks.’ Do you feel like you’re thanking somebody when you feel grateful for something which does not come from an identifiable benefactor (like nice weather)?
- What is the relationship between gratefulness and religion? Does spirituality predispose one to feeling grateful, or is it the other way around?
- Can someone feel undirected gratitude while being resolutely irreligious? Why or why not?
- Do the phrases ‘I really like this beautiful sunset’ and ‘I am thankful for this beautiful sunset’ mean the same thing?
- Gratitude and thanking probably have an evolutionary role in fostering social cohesion. Do you expect people in more socialist societies to be more grateful then those in more individualistic ones (think Canada vs US)?
- Is the opposite of gratitude vengefulness? A sense of entitlement? Something else? Why?
- What does it say about Victoria that we thank our bus drivers when getting off the bus? Is it deeper than politeness? Does it make sense to be grateful to someone for doing their duly remunerated job?
- Would you rather feel gratitude without showing it, or offer thanks without feeling it?
- Your spouse ran you over with their car just as you were reading a text message from your boss telling you that you’ve been fired. A friend comforts you in your hospital bed: ‘Well, you may be paraplegic and jobless, but be grateful you’re not a starving child in Africa!’ Is it OK to have times when we really aren’t grateful for anything? Do you ever feel social pressure to be grateful?
- Is thankfulness the same thing as gratitude?
- There is in gratitude an appreciation of the interconnectedness of everything. Discuss!
- Gratitude is thankfulness plus understanding. Discuss!
- Do we benefit from being grateful? If so, how? If not, why not?
- Gratitude just a social lubricant or a tool of social cohesion. Discuss!
- What is the function of gratitude? Why do we experience it?
*** BONUS QUESTIONS! *** - Can someone who has never experienced love feel gratitude for love? Why or why not?
- Imagine a world without gratitude: what fundamentals would be different about society?
- Do children feel real gratitude? How about infants? Animals? Plants?
I hope that you will join us for this discussion.
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Given the success of this format we are going to be continuing to gather via Zoom. We will be allowing up to 30 participants for this meeting and, after a brief introduction, we will be splitting off into virtual "tables" of six.As long as you have RSVP'd before 5:30PM on the day of the event you should receive an email from Robert prior to 6:30PM giving you the Zoom meetup credentials.
*** PLEASE NOTE ***
If you are a member of Table Conversations and you didn't receive an email announcing THIS Table Conversations meetup then you likely won't receive the email with the Zoom information on the evening of the event. Please confirm that your Meetup.com profile is configured correctly by carefully following the step-by-step instructions in this link: https://www.meetup.com/tableconversations/events/270360456/
Otherwise, since I don't control Meetup's mail system, if you are not receiving notifications please contact Meetup.com for assistance.
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* Room opens at 6:45PM (often earlier) for socialization
* Discussion starts at 7:15 and finishes at 8:45ish
* Keep talking until dawn!3 attendees
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