As the huge media coverage of internet abuse has made clear (not least the appalling targeting of women on Twitter and other social media platforms), when public conversation is debased, we all suffer - though those at the sharp end suffer most.
"The right to speak is a call to the duty of listening." These words of the Quaker writer Pierre Lacout should be placed in letters five feet tall on the walls of all broadcasting studios.
Conversation, which is a cornerstone of human relationships, is crucial to achieving peace in a world of conflict and injustice, says Bishop Brian Smith.
I’ve overheard some interesting conversations this week while travelling on public transport. As any Londoner knows, the unwritten rule is that you can be chatty on the buses, but it’s really not done to talk too much on the Tube. So I’ll start with a beautiful conversation from a ride on that previously mentioned (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14356) rammed bus to Deptford Bridge.