Excercises in Intellectual Group Masturbation

So last night, I participated in something that I can safely say I've never done, and I don't think many people ever take the time to do. And despite it causing a light case of sleep deprivation, it was awesome.

A good friend of mine is a deeply Christian guy, but not the douchey persecution and abuse of power type. He's the kind of guy that regardless of how well you know him, you can have long and potentially pretentious discussions with. So last week he had sent me an invite to a night meant to "Explore and Discover". Despite the cheesy name, the premise was cool. A small get together of people, some friends, some you've never met, with the goal of having a big discussion on Life, The Universe, and Everything (unfortunately I didn't bring a towel). Oh, and of course free (for me) pizza.

Now I was expecting this to be a bunch of people wearing smoking jackets and ascots, sipping on Scotch talking about the meaning of life and maybe a bit about the East India Company. Instead, I walked, a bit late from work, to about 15 people, sitting in a circle of folding chairs (and no smoking jackets), already in an intense discussion on the morality of adjusting a religion to fit your life. Our "formal" discussion lasted about 3 hours, covering topics such as the existence or active involvement of God, the concept of a void, and a historical perspective on the Bible. Since our group was largely Christian, a lot of the discussion revolved around that, but we touched on universal concepts like altruism as well. And it was truly an enlightening experience. It's not like I had my beliefs changed, or I really learned any objective knowledge. What was so great to me was that these people, all with different beliefs and interpretations, had taken the time out to discuss them with people of dissenting opinions. The majority of this group were Christians and were used to discussing these issues with peers, fellow believers. But they were able to have an open discussion with people of different (or no) faiths in a calm and productive manner. To me, it's something I don't see to much of these days.

I highly suggest setting up a similar gathering for yourself, but there are a few guidelines I think you should follow:

Don't invite douchey people. People who will mock others' opinions or insult people will disrupt the group and just piss people off.

Set up a big, comfortable circle. You want everyone to be comfy and be able to make eye contact with each other.

Have food and drinks. You don't need anything fancy, but free food and drinks will make people more inclined to come, and while they're there, they'll enjoy it more and be more comfortable. Also, it helps reduce talking over each other if you've got food in your mouth.

Invite different people. Don't just get The Gang together, you've probably had these conversations already. Take people from different circles of friends for a better variety of people. They'll have better discussions.

Set ground rules. Be up front at first. Tell everyone it's either be respectful or get the hell out. Try not to interrupt or get too loud. Don't let things get out of control. That said, don't be afraid to have people be honest and passionate.

I truly believe we would all be better off if we did this once in a while. Despite some major differences I had with a few people, it was a very gratifying experience and I felt much better knowing that people take the time to put some thought into their philosophies on life.