Civic Conversations

When’s the last time you talked to a group of strangers about a loaded topic?

For me, it was last night, and this #thankyouthursday, I am grateful for civic conversations.

Specifically, Civic Conversations with the Library of Virginia, which is the group I attended yesterday, but more generally, I appreciate any opportunity to have a civilized discussion with thoughtful, open-minded participants.

The key words there are “civilized” and “open-minded.” It seems like in today’s cultural and political landscape, many people have developed strong opinions, but not necessarily a commitment to critical thinking or empathetic engagement.

The ability to genuinely consider another person’s perspective and to receive and fairly examine information that conflicts with your existing viewpoint is an invaluable skill, but I’ve found that it must be cultivated.

In other words, if we don’t make an active effort to understand others, we’ll keep perpetuating our own worldviews and bubbles. And if we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always gotten.

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a better world, and I think conscious communication—civic conversations—can help us transform.

When I entered the conference room last night, I already had beliefs about the controversial monuments that occupy a place of prominence in my city. And when I left, my opinions did not substantially differ.

But. I did learn a lot during the discussion, and I’m better equipped to talk about a tricky topic with understanding and compassion. And I don’t think I was the only participant who considered some new ideas.

So yes, I am grateful for civic conversations, and I hope that we all get to have more of them.

Love > fear,
Christina

p.s. To kick off last night’s civic conversation, we watched The Meaning of a Monument, which is a short video about a controversial monument in NYC and addresses many of the issues we went on to discuss. Give it a watch!