In Uptown Cafe by Valparaiso University, I overheard two guys (who apparently did not know one another previously) talking about religion and the nature of God. Between bits of Adele and other songs playing in the coffeeshop I was able to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation. I didn’t catch all the details, but I did hear some interesting points, and most importantly, I noticed them giving each other ample time to speak, engaging in a back-and-forth, real conversation. Hearing this, I was reminded of a surreal experience I had in Paris last summer. It was pretty hard to believe in the moment, and even more so in retrospect. I was in Shakespeare and Company, the bookstore across from Notre Dame Cathedral, and heading upstairs, I encountered an older man sitting on a bench and several people gathered around—a young Chinese girl, a middle-aged Australian man, a young American couple, an older French woman, and now, me.
I walked into the room, thinking the older seated man was a guest author or performer there to do a reading and talkback. As I began to listen in, it became apparent that in fact, these were all strangers who had begun a conversation together. What better place, I thought, than such a legendary bookstore—so I stayed. The parts of the conversation that I experienced meandered from God to literature and music—one man among played the piano for us, and as I expressed appreciation, the older man asked if I played. I answered that I am a singer, and the group somehow coaxed me to sing a solo. I got stage fright playing Conrad in Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing and I get nervous reading my writing in front of the class, but I felt enough at ease in this dim room full of old books and curious people.
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Everything about that afternoon was unreal—even just being in Paris and eating at a cafe across from Notre Dame. But each time I remember this impromptu chat in Paris, I am reminded of the importance of real, kind-spirited, respectful conversation. In light of the recent election, this seems especially important, but really it always has been. The more we engage with one another’s ideas and learn to respect them, the more open-minded we become. This is difficult for me sometimes, and even when I feel like I can be open minded, I occasionally fall to cynicism, thinking that nobody values these talks anymore. In Uptown Cafe I was reminded that people do still value conversation and I can choose to be a respectful conversationalist myself.
