It’s interesting working with people around the world who have eroded faith in their leaders and the hype of economic success when it comes to the real work of building communities. I’m working these days in the urban core of Detroit whose vacant land is equivalent to the size of the city of San Francisco. People there who see themselves as change makers resonate immediately with the observation that communities move in the direction of their conversations.
When they learn new conversations that make a difference, they refer to their discovery as nothing less than “transformational.” These are the conversations that make a new future more possible. They are conversations where people are invited to voice their dreams and translate these into small acts that engage their gifts and others who share their dreams.
As it turns out, change in urban cores is both inevitable and vital. The character of our communities will always perfectly reflect the character of our conversations.