[Izakaya Discussion] Synchronization of judgment that only happens over drinks

As I wrote in another article, I had an "Izakaya discussion" in Jigokudani with someone I met on note.
Although it was our first time meeting, we hit it off surprisingly quickly.
That night, one thing became clear.

Shortly after meeting, we were freely criticizing each other's ideas and methods.
Things like, "Someone is probably already doing that," or "Honestly, that doesn't seem profitable."
I think those were a bit too forward for a first meeting.

But the atmosphere didn't turn bad at all.
There was no feeling of being rejected, nor was there any attempt to persuade.
The conversation just continued with, "That's fine," or "I still want to do it anyway."

Why were we able to have that kind of conversation despite it being our first time meeting?
It wasn't that we were trying to become friends or close the distance between us.
I feel it was actually the opposite.

We weren't trying to persuade the other person,
nor were we trying to get them to understand our own thoughts.
We were just saying exactly what we thought.

I think the setting of a drinking spot played a big role.
There are no correct answers, no evaluations, and no "pauses" to think.
Before we could polish our words, only our judgments came out first.

That's why even when our opinions clashed, things didn't get complicated.
It didn't end with "You're wrong,"
but rather, "I'll do it anyway" or "I won't do that" became visible right there.

At work, that kind of conversation almost never happens.
We choose our words, organize the order,
and think once before speaking about whether it's okay to say it.

Even during a "mountain retreat," it's still a bit difficult.
Although there is plenty of time to think,
because of that, we end up searching for proper questions and proper words.
As a result, our judgments remain deep inside our chests.

In a drinking setting, neither of those things is likely to happen.
There is no need to provide a correct answer,
and it is not a place to be evaluated.
Before you can think, the conversation has already moved forward.

Therefore,
"I won't do that"
"That's probably wrong"
"But this is good"
judgments like these appear before the reasons do.

If I were to put this feeling into words,
I think it was "synchronization of judgment."

It wasn't that our opinions were in agreement.
It wasn't that our evaluations of the ideas were the same either.
But,
"To do or not to do"
"To move forward or to pull back"
the speed and placement of those judgments were naturally aligned.

That's why,
"Someone is probably already doing that"
"Honestly, that doesn't seem profitable"
words like these didn't become a rejection.
It's because we weren't trying to change the other person's judgment.

"If you've already decided, then you're going to do it, right?"
The reason that kind of phrasing works is,
I think, because our judgments were already synchronized.

An Izakaya discussion is
neither a place to understand each other nor a place to become friends.
It is a place to line up and confirm where each person makes their judgments
in a short amount of time.

Perhaps this only happens at an Izakaya.
At work, positions get involved,
and in a mountain retreat, too much thinking gets involved.
There is almost no place where only judgment comes out as it is.

We didn't polish our ideas,
nor did we make future plans.
Our judgments were synchronized, that is all.