Gleanings

     Four years of solitude.      Four years without another human being with which to interact or converse.      This is Tom Hanks' experience in the epic film "Castaway," and as the film shows us, when we are left only with monologue, only conversing with ourselves, it can drive us a bit nuts.  Like, "talking-to-a-volleyball" nuts.  We will invent another person in our minds and attribute an entirely fictional personality to them, if only for the purpose of having a place for our own thoughts to be reflected.      We were made for a life of dialogue, not just monologue.       It is through dialogue that our ideas are sharpened, affirmed, and, when necessary, challenged.  How often have you had an idea that never would have taken off without the small tweak or correction by another?  How often has someone else's comment sparked an entirely new thought in your own mind, something you ...