Dialogue can take place quietly-through prayer and meditation, journal writing, self-talk, drawing, painting, and sculpture. Dialogue can also take dramatic or musical forms. Watch and listen to an accomplished pianist perform in concert. You may become aware of the "dialogue" going on between the musician and his or her music. Such a "dialogue" comes out of a deep emotional, intellectual, and spiritual commitment to personal, aesthetically rich expression. If such poetics are possible in music, aren't they also possible in education?
Dialogue can, of course, exist verbally in a problem-solving or decision-making session in which the emphasis is on discernment, discovery, exploration, debate, and deliberationperhaps in a session with other teachers deliberating over proposed curriculum changes, or with friends debating the social value of the new play you just saw together. This use of dialogue was the topic of chapter 4. Wherever or however dialogue takes place, it needs to be conducted with a loving heart and genuine caring. Dialogue is never easy; it can be exhausting. It tends to push and pull you to places you may not want to go. It takes courage and honesty, whether engaged in it by yourself or with others. Yet, its rewards are great; it helps us come to a wholeness of intellect, emotion, and spirit. It helps us to explore what is happening inside of us as we grow as individual persons and teachers (Palmer, 1998). And it strengthens us to be able to withstand the pressures that come from trying to live a life of democratic principles in an environment where they are not the norm. For these reasons, it is an invaluable tool as you discover who you are and what you want your life story to be.

Becoming the Individual You Desire to Be

However your journey of self-awareness begins-with your own contemplations, through the promptings of a trusted guide, or after reading this book-it will lead you to a "different way of regarding daily life and the quest for happiness" (Moore, 1992, p. 3). It will set you on the journey of defining what your life will be and what you will consider happiness. It will give your life depth and greater value and "enrich your identity" (Moore, 1992, p. 29). It will give you some idea of how to answer those very difficult questions posed earlier in this chapter: