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I finally got my chance—last week I sat down with a woman from “The Other Side” to discuss our values, opinions, and feelings about issues we disagree on. And you know what? We had a lot more in common than I ever would have guessed. Go figure.
The One Small Step Initiative, sponsored by Story Corp, has selected Grand Marais as one of six sites in the country to promote and record conversations between people with differing political views. Totally frustrated with the animosity between our political parties, I found it a brilliant plan and eagerly signed up (WTIP.org under Arts & Culture).
According to the Story Corps website, “One Small Step is based on contact theory, which states that a meaningful interaction between people with opposing views can help turn “thems” into “us-es.” One Small Step’s scientific and systematic approach is supported by a group of advisors that includes social scientists, researchers, and psychologists.”
And it worked. My One Small Step partner, Marcia, and I found common ground on a number of topics, particularly women’s rights. Both retired teachers, we also felt strongly about the importance of reaching out to help others. Two topics agreed on—hooray! I think when it comes down to basic human values, we all agree on more things than we disagree on. So why can’t our legislators do the same? Both Marcia and I got involved in this project because of frustration with our legislators, who can’t seem to pass any legislation without voting on strict party lines. That makes no sense to me. How could any group (party) be so cohesively against everything “The Other Side” holds dear?
Let’s see—instead of…
Divisiveness
Polarization
Animosity
Hatred
Opposition
Distrust
Partisanship
Division
Why don’t we all support communication and cooperation? It’s a no-brainer.
I just finished listening to Divergence, an intriguing YA novel about a futuristic society organized into five factions based on their values. One was CANDOR, people who esteemed honesty and blamed fraudulent behavior for the demise of society. Another was AMITY, people who blamed hatred and promoted kindness. The third faction was ERUDITE, people who valued education and information, blaming ignorance for society’s demise. Another faction was DAUNTLESS, people who valued courage and found cowardice deplorable. The last was ABNEGATION, a selfless group who blamed greed and selfishness. This group served as rulers, making decisions for the greater good. (Hmmm…Now there’s a concept.) Then, of course, there were outliers, the FACTIONLESS, who were poor and homeless. Of course, they ended up battling each other—like we do.
What I find unsettling is that most Americans probably value ALL of these qualities, not just one, and that if we followed our values with our behaviors (and votes), perhaps we could build a system that actually worked.
Is there hope that we can overcome our divisiveness and learn to work together? Judging from my conversation with a woman from “The Other Side,” I believe we can.
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