One staple from my childhood that invokes fond memories is a warm mug of hot chocolate or cocoa. When it’s cold outside. When it’s raining. During the holidays. On a bad day. Nothing cheered me up more than this American classic.
And I am not the only one. National Hot Chocolate Day is celebrated every year on January 31 to warm hearts and bodies all across the country by encouraging us all to indulge in a cup.
My favorite flavors are peppermint and salted caramel cocoa. Drinking these rich flavors still brings me a little sanity and calmness in an otherwise chaotic day. So when thinking of a category for our virtual conversations, it was a natural choice that cocoa would be in the title.
The truth is the world is chaotic. We seem to have lost the civility and decorum necessary for free thought and conversation to flow. No longer do we search for common ground. Instead, we seem determined to measure conversations on how loud the volume level or how many points we make (like it’s a debate) versus truly listening to each other for understanding or even a new perspective. Trolls have taken over the internet. We live in this cancel culture where you run the risk of never being heard from again if you utter an unpopular opinion.
Make no mistake, I am not talking about giving a pass to those who make racist, sexist or bigoted comments. I am talking about this presumption that we all walk on water and have never said or done anything that could be viewed as insensitive, or don’t have the right to grow and evolve our thinking from the past.
It makes me long for simpler times.
One of the missions of infinitelyZ is to challenge the status quo. During Cocoa and Convos, we will talk about all the things we have been told not to discuss:
- Religion
- Politics
- Money
- Race
- Current Events
But, we will do so in a way that promotes healthy discourse. There are only a few simple rules: if you want to engage in yelling (ALL CAPS in these interwebs), profanity or personal attacks, you will need to go elsewhere. If you like saying things for shock value or to be provocative, keep searching. Such comments will not be allowed.
So, put on your most comfortable lounging attire, pour a warm cup of cocoa and let’s have a lively but healthy debate.
What shall we talk about?
Title Nod: Polar Express: Hot Chocolate REQUESTED!
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