What do I mean when I say, ‘Let’s have a yarn?’ A yarn isn’t just a casual chat or a bedtime story to lull kids to sleep. Yarns are stories, yes, but yarning is a far deeper, more sacred process. It’s about exchanging stories in a way that awakens us, keeps us sharp, and grows our understanding of the world. Where narratives come along side each other, to sit in the aggregate and form the truth, where the shared words are threads that braid together a fabric of collective knowledge.

Having a yarn, though it might sound informal, is actually a structured cultural activity with a valid and rigorous methodology for knowledge production, inquiry, and the transmission of information. Yarning is a ritual, one that incorporates elements such as story, humor, gesture, and mimicry to build consensus, create meaning, and inspire innovation. It’s not just about sitting in a circle and talking – it’s about sitting in the space, sometimes facing different directions, and weaving together the threads of many stories, even if they seem contradictory, to come to the consensus of the many.

In yarning, we don’t debate to win or come out on top. We let the stories sit side by side, each one holding its place in the larger narrative of truth. Now what is truth is not necessarily true, but the difference is complex, not complicated. And we need these yarns more than ever to make our way through this overly complicated morden world. Whether we’re yarning about a specific situation or just exploring the broader context of life, this process allows us to build a group mind, a kind of collective intelligence where all voices contribute to the whole. From this, we reach a loose consensus that guides our decisions, helps us make predictions, finalizes agreements or resolves arguments, and affirms our relationships with one another. And that’s the most important part.

So, when I speak, it’s not just to inform, educate, or entertain—though it may do all those things. It’s an invitation, a call to gather around the fire, to share in the warmth of our collective wisdom, to sit in wangu and to participate in the ongoing creation of a future where every voice is heard and valued. To join me in a yarn. Each yarn I engage in is a bridge, connecting diverse peoples and perspectives that might otherwise remain distant. Every time I have the opportunity to speak, it’s a chance to bring people together, to nurture that sacred space in between where all knowledge is held – the space where good relations are formed, where meaningful collaborations and initiatives take root, and where the fragments of wisdom we all hold come together around the fire.