#209 - Conversations feel brittle right now, and disagreements can feel like stepping onto a minefield. We sit down with artist, educator, and traveler David Deighton to explore a different path: using art, curiosity, and face-to-face dialogue to turn political tension into human connection. From a pop-up “museum” on the rim of the Grand Canyon to quiet miles in the backcountry, David shares how intentional design and slow travel can lower the temperature and raise the quality of our conversations.

David’s method is simple and powerful. He builds installations that reveal our invisible boxes—our limited worldviews—and then invites strangers to talk through three non-triggering questions. No debating. No dunks. Just listening for one shared emotion and letting that become the bridge. He even trains attention with a sensory twist: ask what a word like “hope” tastes like. It sounds strange, but it pulls the brain out of fight mode and back into presence.

We also lean into travel as recovery. After dozens of conversations, David hikes into wilderness to process and reset. Public lands become a civic commons where dialogue can breathe, and wilderness rules mirror good conversation: slow down, limit noise, pay attention. Along the way, we unpack why he starts with politics, how Triptych Dialogue took its name from a centuries-old art panel with missing scenes, and what it takes to move from activist anger to patient curiosity.

If you’ve felt exhausted by outrage, this conversation offers tools you can use today: ask better questions, listen for emotions, practice with a neighbor, and take a walk before you reply online. Subscribe for more human-centered stories, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find the show. Who will you try the three questions with first?

Be sure and give David a follow on YouTube @triptych-dialogue. To see some clips from past, present, and even future guests check out The Human Adventure on Instagram @humanadventurepod.