Past the Partison: Getting Involved in the LIves of Others |
| Articles |
| Sunday, 26 October 2008 19:58 |
PAST THE PARTISAN: GETTING INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF OTHERSWhen was the last time you attempted to consider the viewpoints of someone whose opinions were different than yours? Do you show empathy, interest, or a willingness to engage with others to understand them better? Whether the differences you experience are related to politics, work, family or any other issue, it may be helpful to view the differences as opportunity to grow beyond your current insights. How useful is it to believe the persuasions of a partisan platform (or any long-held belief) without asking the hard questions and listening for truthful answers? How honest are you in your beliefs if you have only listened to the rhetoric rather than the core values representing someone else’s beliefs? Sometimes you contribute to conflict by refusing to hear new perspectives or denying that you may share the same underlying values to those perspectives. Why is it important for you to understand the interests of people who hold different views? One reason is that if you are to make strategic decisions that move you forward productively as a nation, or a community, family or in your places of work, it is useful to create opportunities to hear and respect the various insights that can better inform those strategies. The second reason is that these co-created strategies will be more fully supported by the whole group rather than subgroups that may hold partisan interests not representing the whole. Subgroup interests tend to cause upheaval in policy when periodic changes occur in management, administration or leadership. When interests that reflect the “whole” are implemented, people will collectively say “this is the way we do things here” and know what normative values and actions are acceptable. Whther it's a municipal code or a family rule, boundaries are easier to follow if everyone agrees on what's expected.How do you create opportunities to find this common ground with people who think so differently than yourself? First of all, stop “labeling” people who hold different viewpoints from yours. Opinions and complex behaviors are integrated within belief systems, history of experiences, and cultural background. Seldom do people come to opinions that are not a result of this interplay. People are a product of these social dynamics, and often have good reasons that yield an “opinion” or perspective, something that simple labeling cannot justify.Secondly, we need to stop inciting people to dangerous levels of intolerance and disagreement. When politicians provoke animosity among their followers, they are further alienating large segments of a society from coming to some common understanding of the perceived differences in complex issues. Similarly, parents or supervisors who allow unproductive disputes to fester among siblings or coworkers commit a grievous act against their charges by encouraging unproductive patterns of communication or behavior. Lastly, open your mind to consider the lives of people who are different than you. As they say, you won’t know how someone feels unless you “walk a mile in their shoes”. Your anger or animosity may dissipate upon discovering that someone else’s life is at least as challenging as yours in different ways. Consider how their belief systems evolved to protect their dignity or enhance their survival. |
