“Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt or Admiral Hyman G. Rickover or an Anonymous Proverb.

(Take your pick.)

That quote has haunted me for years.

It invariably pops in my head, especially during the inopportune times when I’m (of course) talking about people. It nags at me, prodding me to audit my conversations and determine just what level of discussion I’ve been employing recently.

I think we can all agree that we don’t want to be labeled as “average,” not to mention the classification of a “small” mind. However, it seems all-too-easy to fall into the trap of discussing people over ideas. To be frank, talking about ideas can be difficult, if only because it takes more of your attention than a chat over the latest social news would.

Trying to imagine such a conversation borders on humorous:

Me: Alex! It’s been ages! How are you?

Alex: I’m doing well. How have you been?

Me: Oh, I’m doing well, too. Poverty-line Brazilian citizens, however, couldn’t say the same. Did you hear about the protests before the World Cup?

Wait, wait, no. That would be an event. We’re only hitting average-levels here. Let’s try again:

Me: Alex! So good to see you again!

Alex: You as well! What’s been keeping you occupied?

Me: Well, to be honest, I’ve been consumed with the argument of worthy government spending. Is it logical to invest in a huge event that will raise the international profile of your country, yet have no economic benefit to your citizens? Or is that money better spent on low-income housing, hospitals, and schools? How do you decide where to allocate funds, and what overarching principles should guide your national budget?

There. That’s a greater conversation. But how do you get to that point? Where do you even start, and how do you ramp up that gateway, greeting comment into a full-fledged philosophical discourse?

Not to play the devil’s advocate, but aren’t there some “great” people who still discuss other people? When parents talk about their children and worry about how to help them navigate through the trials of adolescence, is that small? When visiting teaching companions discuss the sisters they visit and determine how to best serve them, is that the mark of a lesser mind?

Or is it simply a matter of proportions? Perhaps we’re allowed to discuss people and events as well as ideas, but in a 20:30:50 ratio. A minute or two of the latest gossip, but then quickly move on to the more pressing matters.

It couldn’t hurt to debate ideas more often, of course. There’s a part of me that wishes for more of that meaningful subject matter in my life. A part that hankers after a good, long conversation that delves into society and ideologies. I wonder if anyone would take the bait, though. Would you knowingly engage in a discussion if you knew it would turn to philosophy? And where is such a discussion held? Do you host a salon in your home and invite a Q&A after the keynote speaker? Is there an informal way to invite this type of an exchange?

Maybe my trepidation comes from the fear of inadequacy. People and events are simpler to discuss than ideas. Ideas take real thought and consideration. I’m afraid that if I start on that path, I’ll quickly reveal myself as out-of-touch and uninformed. So I avoid it. I stick to what’s easy and let others handle the heavy mental lifting. I approach discussions like a competition, and I’m afraid I’ll lose (and thereby lose acceptance) because my argument is not fully fleshed-out.

But that excuse is no longer good enough. I’ve decided to demand more of myself. It’s easy to talk about trash, to gossip, but it’s juicy and less responsible. It’s time we believe that our insights are just as valid as anyone else’s and deserve to be shared. That it’s possible to share without necessarily coming to a conclusion, and that both parties are better off for it. Starting today (even if it’s only today), I’m going to be a great mind.

Do you find it easy to discuss ideas? What are your conversation pitfalls? What overarching principles SHOULD guide a national budget?