Last night I dreamt:
An average, middle age, middle weight, white, brown bearded
man walked into my classroom. “You all
think you’re so smart, you liberals; well think on this” he said just before detonating
a bomb, where I was speaking to hundreds of students, both of my sons among
them. Body parts were strewn about the
room, the windows painted grotesquely red, I could make out a detached finger
smearing down through it among many other unidentified bits of flesh. Somehow I was now outside of the locked down
classroom, part of the task force containing the scene. “We must find common ground and build bridges
if we are to effect change, if we are to survive this war” a detached voice said.
I awoke shaking, crying, and thinking. To those who wish to participate, to lead, the
revolution, if there is to be any hope of effecting positive change I believe
it would be of great benefit to learn to hear, not ‘just’ blatant or subtle
aggressions, but also others’ perspectives. If positive, lasting peace, change, is to come
common ground must be found and bridges built from those tender, tentative,
shared footholds. Active listening,
caring, must take place, people are going to need to feel heard, those who you
anticipate agree with you and those who will not.
To that end, I invite each of you to reach out to someone,
share tea, a conversation, and reach for a shared concern, listen to the other
to hear them, to see the world, the specific situation, their story, through their lens,
from their specific perspective. Listen
to see through their eyes, not to respond or convince. See then if you can find some common care and
build together on that. I think it is
reasonable to assume that most you encounter are reasonably intelligent,
concerned individuals who want what’s best for themselves and those they love
and care about. Regardless, it does you no
harm to assume that is so and to make efforts to work with everyone you
encounter and every situation you encounter with that in mind, intentional in
your efforts to connect.
Wishing you all Peace, Perspective, and Love.
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