I love this. You are brilliant, and wonderful at diffusing situations. We are in desperate need of moderate policies—and moderators, it would seem. Democratic process that acknowledges discourse and separate viewpoints. Wishing you the best, Kate!
This is such a good direction to head toward. More power (in effective mediation) to you! For years, I’ve been baffled by why more people don’t step into the space, preferring to be players holding their positions rather than Bridgers, those who prioritize bringing parties together to resolve major differences. Maybe it’s just the middle-child in me, but it’s so satisfying to contribute to forming collaboration.
Disasters have a way of bringing people together. Much as I do not wish you an earthquake, the in-your-face Trumpies and the nazi tagger might find themselves distributing ice together, and discover the people behind the sentiments. Most of us are composed of far more than our politics. I admire what you are doing.
So true, Nina! I remember this from being in NYC on 9/11. The way people came together was so moving.
I wonder if there's any way to achieve anything close to that level of cooperation and kindness--*without* a community having to endure a shared disaster? Something I'll be pondering. Anyway, I appreciate your message--thank you.
Brilliant idea! And I think local mediators can play an important role in getting people to communicate—and if we can’t do that, we’ll never get beyond the current impasse.
Thanks, Penny. I agree: I think there's a real role for mediators in our political process--especially when I consider approaches like the one that Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson outline in their new book ABUNDANCE. Highly recommend it btw!
This is wonderful, Kate. You continue to be such a source of inspiration. It reminds me of a couple things, one being a much-discussed TIME piece by novelist Tayari Jones about how there's nothing virtuous in seeking middle ground on moral issues. The headline used the term common ground, and it seemed to me that this was misleading. The fact is, we can still find common ground even when we can't find middle ground on polarizing issues - as Ezra Klein (and I'm sure others) have pointed out, we all have many identities - to mend the social fabric, we need to find ways to foreground identities that we share not focus solely on the identities that divide us (paraphrasing here but hopefully not misrepresenting).
Amy Gutman! 1) I miss you!!! Thank you for finding me here. 2) I'm going to come back to this thread when I have more time to write (especially about Ezra Klein, whose new book, ABUNDANCE, we need to discuss, stat) but very briefly for now: yes-yes-yes...common ground and middle ground are distinctly different concepts--and importantly so!
I have been listening to Abundance on Audible - so happy when I saw in your last post that we will be discussing! Looking forward - and I've missed you too!
Finding common ground you can rally on sounds like a great start. Learning where we can extend more tolerance is so essential. Sounds like the BI CERT group is active. Would they be a receptive audience for basic mediation skills?
I love this. You are brilliant, and wonderful at diffusing situations. We are in desperate need of moderate policies—and moderators, it would seem. Democratic process that acknowledges discourse and separate viewpoints. Wishing you the best, Kate!
Thanks, @Sara Jayne!
This is such a good direction to head toward. More power (in effective mediation) to you! For years, I’ve been baffled by why more people don’t step into the space, preferring to be players holding their positions rather than Bridgers, those who prioritize bringing parties together to resolve major differences. Maybe it’s just the middle-child in me, but it’s so satisfying to contribute to forming collaboration.
Thank you, David! I appreciate the encouragement!
Disasters have a way of bringing people together. Much as I do not wish you an earthquake, the in-your-face Trumpies and the nazi tagger might find themselves distributing ice together, and discover the people behind the sentiments. Most of us are composed of far more than our politics. I admire what you are doing.
So true, Nina! I remember this from being in NYC on 9/11. The way people came together was so moving.
I wonder if there's any way to achieve anything close to that level of cooperation and kindness--*without* a community having to endure a shared disaster? Something I'll be pondering. Anyway, I appreciate your message--thank you.
Brilliant idea! And I think local mediators can play an important role in getting people to communicate—and if we can’t do that, we’ll never get beyond the current impasse.
Thanks, Penny. I agree: I think there's a real role for mediators in our political process--especially when I consider approaches like the one that Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson outline in their new book ABUNDANCE. Highly recommend it btw!
This is wonderful, Kate. You continue to be such a source of inspiration. It reminds me of a couple things, one being a much-discussed TIME piece by novelist Tayari Jones about how there's nothing virtuous in seeking middle ground on moral issues. The headline used the term common ground, and it seemed to me that this was misleading. The fact is, we can still find common ground even when we can't find middle ground on polarizing issues - as Ezra Klein (and I'm sure others) have pointed out, we all have many identities - to mend the social fabric, we need to find ways to foreground identities that we share not focus solely on the identities that divide us (paraphrasing here but hopefully not misrepresenting).
Amy Gutman! 1) I miss you!!! Thank you for finding me here. 2) I'm going to come back to this thread when I have more time to write (especially about Ezra Klein, whose new book, ABUNDANCE, we need to discuss, stat) but very briefly for now: yes-yes-yes...common ground and middle ground are distinctly different concepts--and importantly so!
I have been listening to Abundance on Audible - so happy when I saw in your last post that we will be discussing! Looking forward - and I've missed you too!
Finding common ground you can rally on sounds like a great start. Learning where we can extend more tolerance is so essential. Sounds like the BI CERT group is active. Would they be a receptive audience for basic mediation skills?
They might be, Violet! What an interesting idea. Thank you.
Thank you for doing this.
Kate, I admire your mind and your humanity. I’m thinking of the Paulo Coelho quote, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.“
Thank you, Joe, and what a wonderful quote. I love it.
<3