Family Dinner.

The United States holiday of Thanksgiving fast approaches. Too quickly, in my opinion. As a child, I remember the feeling of coming together, brother, sister, parents, cousins, grandma, aunts, and uncles to celebrate the year and enjoy our time together. I never had the experience of "dramatic" family dinners.

Ever notice that, in gatherings, some hosts give the impression that everything is "perfect" when it's not? Feels fake, right? I believe it's because we've been conditioned to avoid conflicts. Think of classic American finishing schools for women; they taught social graces, which included what not to discuss with others - religion, sex, and politics. Now, these and other conflict matters are taboo.

Conflict is a necessary part of the human experience. We require conflict to grow. Without an ability to stretch our muscles, and break them, we cannot rebuild stronger than before. In the same way, we must be as intentional with how we introduce conflict into our gatherings. What do I mean?

If you want to share your music, which challenges the status quo, invite people with conflicting points of view to engage - create conflict.

If you want to generate new actionable ideas, invite your team to debate the good and bad suggestions - create conflict.

If you want to be able to discuss politics over dinner, invite those that will be able to entertain a conversation without getting personal - enjoy the feeling of polite discourse.

Through conflict, we can find a middle ground. We see how others feel about our topic, and we can then look to discover what makes us the same. Additionally, through conflict, we allow everyone to be heard or seen. To create better art, we must learn to see and to speak. To create better art, we must learn to see and to speak.

Think about your next gig, house concert, family dinner, or coffee date - how can you invite healthy conflict?