SoH Small Dialogue Circles on Love in Leadership and Governance

As part of exploring the theme of the Spirit of Humanity Forum 2021, ‘Towards a Loving World - Leadership & Governance for Wellbeing’, SoH is convening a number of Zoom-based Small Dialogue Circles, which will provide a safe, loving and reflective space in which invited leaders can explore with each other love in leadership and governance; what is it in their experience that either leads to or prevents love being a power in politics, business, education and other areas of society?

As Prof Ursula King raised at a regional SoH Forum in Bristol, “We feel that our ideas of love have become weak. We need to understand love in a new way, or maybe an original way that has been lost.” Ursula said that, “we have made love small, into something we only keep for friends and relatives, intimate connections. But the power of love is so much greater. We must nurture a different kind of love which can reach out in the world.”

We are inviting explorations, reflections, stories and experiences of the meaning and power of love from different perspectives to exemplify what love looks like when it builds bridges, overcomes significant challenges, makes us see with the eyes of another and creates trust and harmony among people.

Each circle will have no more than five invited leaders and will be facilitated by members of the Spirit of Humanity team. The dialogues will be built on our three pillars - silence, listening and dialogue.

Silence, listening and dialogue

The Forum is specifically using silent reflection, deep listening and dialogue in all its events to provide an opportunity for leaders and change-makers who are driven by core human values to learn from each other in a safe space and find new ways forward together. We believe this practice will create a very different outcome in meetings.

Silence

To see a different perspective and think new thoughts we need to give the mind a complete rest in between. In silent reflection, we digest impressions, let insights sink in and we prepare ourselves to learn something new.

Listening

To listen deeply with only a sincere intention to grasp what the other is trying to express without interpreting or drawing conclusions is a level of listening that can open up for the dialogue and build bridges of new understanding.

Dialogue

To build our understanding of something, together with others, without the pressure to make decisions or be "right." When we inquire into a subject, rather than advocate for certain ideas, we can welcome what the other has to offer and create something new together.