An Invitation To Dialogue

Di·a·logue; a written or spoken exchange between two or more people, associated with the Socratic dialogue developed by Plato.

I like to think of City Club as a multi-faceted jewel. We have great food but are not a restaurant; we have beautiful art but are not a museum; we have delicious drinks but are not a bar; we have magical gardens but are not a park; we have quiet spaces in which to work but are not an office.

Instead, what we are, or aspire to be, is a safe space for our members to engage with others in the most authentic, open, and free manner, including openness to accept constructive criticism. Why? Because “a recent poll found that more than half of Americans have become afraid to voice their opinions freely for fear of retaliation or severe criticism.”

As the founder, I believe good food and intelligent dialogue are the binding qualities of a community. As such, we constantly strive to introduce what we consider important and interesting topics as catalysts for engagement. The responses we get, however, have been less than we had hoped, and in some cases, the feedback has run along the lines of “keep your opinions to yourself.”

Please consider this outreach as a heartfelt appeal for your engagement in the hope of elevating mere discussion to intelligent dialogue, hoping what may initially appear to be a controversial thought or comment, proves to be an opening for a substantive interaction rather than an emotional call-to-arms. I believe this is the actual strength of our community.

Finally, I am pleasantly surprised by the number of members who open and read our Newsletter. However, active community also includes expression of your opinion, whether in support of or against anything that is served up, which is the beginning of a Socratic dialogue. The message below, which appears in each edition of our newsletter, is meant to be more than a boilerplate disclaimer:

“This Newsletter includes items reflecting the personal opinions of their respective authors. This forum is dedicated to the free exchange of ideas and welcomes alternative perspectives submitted in good faith. Neither the original submissions nor any counter-points represent the position of either City Club or Highland Institute. We invite you to engage in these discussions.”

— Sina.