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Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones? To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? What can you do today that you couldn’t do a year ago?
These are some of the questions the non-profit organization Free Intelligent Conversation (FreeIC) may ask if you choose to engage with them and the signs they hold in public.
In a world where it can be difficult to meet people and connect on a daily basis, this organization aims to help people connect through these worthwhile conversations. Whether COVID, social media, or any other societal issue is to blame, humans are lacking conversation and interaction with the world outside of their heads.
The “Intelligent” in Free Conversation
Kyle Emile, the founder and executive director of FreeIC, along with his growing team, strives to connect strangers using these questions and more, in order to create meaningful conversations. They believe that “by continually seeking to learn from others we can improve ourselves, break down social barriers, and make the world a better place.”
If this all sounds great to you, but the “intelligent” part is scaring you off, well, there’s no need to be intimidated.
“This is more than a gathering of pretentious snobs flaunting their knowledge,” Emile explains. Instead, FreeIC believes that everyone is intelligent. That intelligence is a process, one of obtaining knowledge. FreeIC believes that intelligence is not an achievement and although one’s intelligence is oftentimes assumed to be based on a certain societal standard, life experiences should be included in that qualification. And the “Intelligent” in FreeIC doesn’t imply pretentiousness but instead refers to a conversation where one gains knowledge from the person they are speaking with.
Emile believes we always have something to share and learn from others, even if it’s from people we may not originally expect.
How Free Intelligent Conversation Shows Us We’re All the Same At the Core
In one of Emile’s first ventures holding the FreeIC sign in Chicago, IL, he started a conversation with one person. Soon after, another person joined. After leaving the conversation, Emile noticed the two strangers were still talking two hours later.
Despite their significant differences, the strangers took hours out of their day to talk, to connect.
“They were black and white, poor and middle class, Muslim and Catholic, biology and art majors,” Emile said. “A group of people which were unlikely to have ever spoken to each other not only spoke to each other for two hours but were talking about meeting up in the future.”
At our core, we are humans, And humans are meant to connect. Living in such stressful, technology-heavy, and fast-paced times, it can be easy to neglect this idea.
Imani Cherry of Washington D.C. believes in the work FreeIC is doing, and voiced how important these connections are for keeping our empathy alive.
“There is nothing more organic to the human experience than the sharing of thoughts, emotions, ideas, and experiences,” Cherry said. “It’s how we connect. It’s how we empathize. It’s how we love. Productive discourse between people from various backgrounds and ideologies is necessary to move society forward; to keep people in tune with each other.”
Alejandra Castillo of Chicago, IL, agrees with this sentiment of conversation encouraging empathy, citing that it’s the lack of knowledge we have for one another that causes us to lack empathy.
”We live in a world of conflict—conflict born out of competing self-interests. Our biggest challenge is that we do not know enough about what people, other than those we call “ours,” want,” Castillo said. “We do not know enough about people with different experiences to care for these individuals’ well-being. Free IC provides a medium for the dissemination of knowledge, in a personal way that breeds empathy.”
Free IC’s Missions Statements
Free IC’s mission mirrors these sentiments. Emile breaks their mission down into three statements.
FreeIC is looking to:
“Create a place to celebrate each other’s differences.”
“Create a place where we can talk about absolutely anything.”
“Create a place where people can bring their stories, their lives, their ideas, their thoughts, and speak about them without the fear of being judged.”
FreeIC is constructing a safe space that allows people to talk about anything that is on their mind while also challenging them to think outside of what they are familiar with. FreeIC is not affiliated with a political party or religion. They are their own entity, with the desire to connect people who may not have connected otherwise. This also cultivates a sense of curiosity, a sense that is encouraged by these discussions.
The conversations FreeIC holds in public are meant to make you really think, question what you know, listen to other’s experiences, and maybe learn something new.
The Value of Conversation
Emile notes, the conversations aren’t always the deepest. One of Emile’s favorite questions is “If you had 20 minutes to speak to everyone in the world, what would you tell everyone?” Emile heard the generic yet impactful responses of telling people to do what they can to change the world, love everyone, accept others, and take care of children.
One man however had another approach.
When asked the question, the stranger “Looked me [Emile] dead in the eyes with the boldness to this day I still envy,” and responded, “I would tell everyone to follow me on Instagram.”
Every conversation doesn’t necessarily have to be life-changing, but some have noted they simply find joy in talking to people of different backgrounds and experiences.
While also striving to “remind people the value of conversation,” Emile remarks he wants that conversation to be held in a palace where “people can bring their stories, their lives, their ideas, their thoughts, and speak about them without the fear of being judged.”
Joining the Journey
Emile urges people to step outside of their comfort zone and try something new. Whether you learn something revolutionary or not, the experience opens up the possibility of discovering something new or gaining a fresh perspective.
“If you see us holding a sign that reads “Free Intelligent Conversation,” come talk to us,” Emile urges. “About what? About anything and everything. The only thing needed for an intelligent conversation is willing individuals. We’re willing. Are you?”
Take a chance. Learn something new.
You can learn more about FreeIC over at their website. If you decide to join the movement you can buy the sign and question cards to start your own intelligent conversations.
Hey Karigan – this is Kyle Emile, founder of FreeIC. Thanks for taking the time to write this lovely article about our work!