I would like to be a participant-listener in the conversational sessions of the main conference, and to attend and participate in pre- and post-conference events/activities as well. I think that listening in all its forms is a critical concept in the design of a participative-dialogic society, and a concept that deserves further exploration and development. The speaker-respondent circularity requires listening to turn the circularity into a conversation. Participants must set ego aside, and explore new ways to be present. In particular, I claim that an alternative approach to the uniquely human attribute called consciousness is needed, a shift from one characterized by purposiveness to one focused on presence. I look forward to the exploration.
