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Conversation
I think everyone can agree that these past few months, and these past few weeks, have been crazy. But if I am being honest, I am so thankful that they have been crazy. What has been going on in this country for so long is wrong - period. There is no denying that this country and large parts of the world have a long history of racism that is unacceptable. We’ve come a long way compared to a few hundred years ago but we still have a long way to go.
There is a lot going on. There is a lot going on in the streets, on social media, in the news, and anywhere else messages can be spread - like this email, I guess. There is a lot of change that needs to happen, and I am hopeful that it is going to happen, but it is going to take some time and lots of conversations. And that is what I want to talk about - conversation.
I have seen lots of things on social media that have set positive conversations in motion and are creating the type of progressive disruption that we need right now. But I have also seen some things on social media where people say things like, “I dare you to disagree with me;” and that’s concerning to me - it doesn't set the floor for productive conversation, but instead elicits anger and fear which get us nowhere. I think this language can be really dangerous. In this time more than ever we need civil conversations - conversations where people can come to learn rather than fight. I understand this is a big topic and it can be hard to hear people say things you disagree with. However, the people who disagree with you are the ones that you should want to have a conversation with the most. Don’t get me wrong, I know starting a conversation isn’t always easy, but it is a necessary step for progress to be made.
In all topics, I am a strong proponent of a civil conversation. Whether it is race, politics, economics, or anything else, people need to have conversations in order to learn. Without the option for conversation people can only resort to their own opinions, which are sometimes educated and sometimes not. But even the most educated of people can walk away having learned something after talking with others.
So my challenge to you this week is to have meaningful conversations. I know a lot of people do this already, but I think we need to remember how important this simple tool is during times like these. If someone disagrees with you, rather than arguing with them, I implore you to say something along the lines of, “That is an interesting position, would you mind talking with me more about why you think that?” Hopefully this will lead to a calm conversation where you will both learn something and ideally the world will be better because of it. And with that said, if there is anything in this email you disagree with, please reply - I’d love to hear and learn from your thoughts. The only way we are going to continue to make progress is if we continue to have good conversations.
Stay Motivated,
-Dan
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