By Carla Cole, DCI Coordinator
As the holidays approach, many of us will be gathering with friends and family. At some point, politics is likely to rear its (often ugly) head during conversations. Should we retreat or engage? 2020-2021 DCI Fellow Dalton Langdon responds, “engage,” and I agree! Political discussions don’t have to be nasty or even contentious – we can actually make them productive and meaningful by utilizing deliberative skills and adopting deliberative dispositions! In his 2020 blog, Dalton offers guidance for engaging in political conversations during the holidays. In addition to his suggestions, I encourage us to all embrace a commitment to egalitarianism, humility, open-mindedness, curiosity, empathy and charity . Embracing these deliberative dispositions allows us to foster our shared humanity, find common ground, and leave conversations feeling fulfilled, not frustrated.
When we treat our interlocutors as equal participants in a conversation, we demonstrate respect for their humanity and perspectives. When we approach others with humility, we understand that we do not know everything; this allows us an opportunity to grow from learning the perspectives of others. When we engage with an open mind and curiosity, we allow ourselves to expand the scope of our own knowledge and truly hear the ideas of others.
When we approach others with empathy, we demonstrate compassion for others and respond to disagreements with goodwill. When we offer charity, we assume the best – and not the worst – about others, and we are able to navigate disagreements with grace.
When we actively listen to others, we are able to fully hear and consider their perspectives. When we approach a conversation with anticipation, we are open to changing our own positions based on good argument and reason. When we use evidence to support our perspectives, our arguments are more robust and meaningful. When we seek to find common ground, we find our shared humanity. When we find common ground, we are able to generate solutions to shared problems.
So, this holiday season, try adopting deliberative dispositions and following the recommendations Dalton offers in his blog so you may deck the halls – not your uncle!
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