Posting picture big to convey how it feels to stand by it
This jacket belonged John Hancock (as in, see sig), the first governor of Massachusetts. His home, the Old State House, is in the heart of old Boston, about a stone's throw from Fanueil Hall.
We had dinner there as a prelude to a conference** a few weeks ago. Before dinner, there were drinks and hors d's in the room where this jacket is englassed. It was noisy so people took refuge in the corners to talk. Soon we were in converation with an insurance industry lobbyist who, it turned out, had been up until 3 am with his twin boys, and whose family has had a lot of cancer. We exchanged many stories rapidly and when it was time to go into dinner, Justin commented on our talk: "Discourse produces meaning," not his words, he clarified, but those of French philosopher Foucault.
He amplified in a further note: "I think I apply it a little differently than Foucault, but my interpretation is that honest, empathetic discussion benefits us all. Not only in increasing what we know about the world, but also in terms of developing understanding for what someone else is going through. Something tells me that the world needs more, not less of this."
**Post on distinctions in virtual teams came from the interviews I did to prep for this conference.