Dumbo Feather – July 2019

Yeah. That’s exactly the point.

A good starting point is to recognise how we are affected

by and participate in it. In the escalation of polarisation,

several dynamics are prominent. As it escalates, we have

less contact and meaningful conversation with people who

are perceived to be different than us and are perceived to

be threatening. This sets in motion quite an intriguing set

of dynamics. Basically it’s the bubble effect. That we move in a world where we have more

time spent with people who already are similar to or agree with our particular understanding

or worldview, and less on the outside. And in response to the question, “What can we do

individually?” The first is to simply be mindful and take account. To what level have I had

conversations with people who I would perceive to be quite different than me? And how

present are they in my community and in my life? I have this little talk I sometimes give

at universities. I think universities are these interesting microcosms. They’re often the

lightning rods of the social and political polarisation. Sort of the seedbeds for a lot of stuff.

So one of the things I say is, “Look around your relationships and your context. There’s a lot

of diversity here within a hand’s reach. You’re living in an unusual microcosm.” Especially

in the US, universities are places outside your hometown that people travel to from across

the country and the world and you physically are in a geographic location that has some

artificiality to it. It’s a four-year adventure [laughs]. Right? But you often have, within that

four-year adventure, the world right at your fingertips. You can’t avoid the diversity of

the world. None of us really can but it’s certainly harder at universities. So you simply ask

yourself the question, “Who in this world of immediate contact do I perceive to be really

different than me?” So then my little proposal is that once a month you sit down with that

person and have a coffee or a tea. It may take a bit of time to develop the courage to reach out

and to develop the mutuality which permits you to come into an interesting conversation.

My proposal is this: reach out to somebody different. Have coffee once a month. Do it for the

rest of your life. And the hook is to

We’ve lost the use of the old English word, “befriend.” We need to make “friendship” a verb.

And it’s a very interesting word because it’s an action word, “befriending.” It’s based on

being in friendship. What’s challenging about that is you soon discover it’s of little utility to

you to try to politically convince somebody of your argument. But you become much more

engaged in the complexity and the whole-ism of your lives. We’re trying this mechanism in

other forms and other places. In Colombia right now we’re talking about a process we refer

to as the improbable dialogues. The intentionality is that you recognise certain forms of

historic division or separation and you’re going to actively seek a way to open that up but it

takes a whole preparatory process of circulating around a particular community and it often

stitches three or four highly unlikely people together. It’s highly unlikely because when

you come to polarisation, what happens at a certain place where polarisation has become

Well the interesting thing was the first reaction was to write a song. And I wrote

a song that was full of sadness. And then after that there was a deadening.

So there was an outpouring of grief followed by silence. It’s a fascinating portal

that you’re describing in terms of art being a vehicle for “rehumanising.”

I’m interested in the increasing polarisation

and the push towards authoritarianism we’re

witnessing around the world. What do you think

we can each do as individuals in our own lives to

stem this rising tide of division and separation?

have a conversation that is not about trying

to convince somebody of something. Have a

conversation that is oriented toward friendship.

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JOHN PAUL LEDERACH

DUMBO FEATHER