But it’s clear there’s never been more differing views, hard held beliefs and expert opinions colliding into one another with nowhere to go. And when it’s left hanging, we’re the opposite of our best selves; we put up walls, throw stones, blame and cut each other down.

What if our connectedness was deeper than knowing each other? What if our connectedness was based on an agreement; that no matter how differing our views, no matter how broken our relationships, we would always move towards this tension rather than shy away from it. What if we deeply felt that our opposing views were the necessary ingredient, the engine for the different, the better, the extraordinary? What if this was our competitive advantage?

Rooms hold stuff – chairs, tables, podiums. The right rooms can hold tension too. The right rooms happen in the real world. And when they’re right, they provide safety and structure for entities, industries and people to hear different perspectives, to be a little vulnerable, to learn, and to acknowledge that we’re more alike than we might realise. Hurling abuse from the safety of our keyboards requires no energy. Setting up the right room and committing to it does. Of course, it takes leadership too.