Sharing a meal has been seen as one of the most effective ways, if not the most effective way, to soothe hostilities and enable discourse between people for centuries.
Take the story of Thanksgiving, for example. Despite its controversial history, Thanksgiving is one of the most famous American holidays. It’s synonymous with the tale of the first Thanksgiving, which tells of the first settlers and the nearby indigenous people putting aside their hostilities, if only briefly, and sharing a meal.
With a similar goal, Washington State Rep. Lisa Callan invited youth in the community to an event called Generations Over Dinner at Timber Ridge at Talus on Nov. 9. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I needed to attend.
Generations Over Dinner is a global initiative designed to create meaningful multi-generational experiences and conversations. At Talus, this was achieved by assigning attendees to sit at tables to eat with people of different generations.
Our dinner featured every age group from the Silent Generation to Generation Z. Following introductions, the staff distributed discussion guides to each table to inspire conversations. From then on, each table worked through the questions at their own pace, with each member sharing unique opinions and insight.
I was initially apprehensive about the prospect of sharing my views with a table of those with far more experience than I do. However, everyone was very open minded, both to me and to each other. Whenever someone shared their idea about a question, the table went quiet and gave them undivided attention, and when they finished, the rest of the group always had kind and intelligent commentary to share.
One of the questions that inspired thought-provoking responses was, “What is the most important technology invented during your lifetime?” One of the older members at my table claimed the transistor is the most important technology of their lifetime. I had never given much thought to its importance, but after they explained that the transistor is one of the simplest and most fundamental electronic components for all modern electronics, I couldn’t help but feel as though their response was the most valid of them all. Without hearing their take, I would have paid transistors no more than a passing thought.
Responses like that show the value of attending this event and hearing the opinions of others, which seems to be getting harder and harder in the modern day. Timber Ridge at Talus is hosting more Generations Over Dinner in the future, and I strongly encourage you to go and give it a chance.
