valley views Lessen the divide O
ur nation is polarized and angry unlike any time since the Civil War. It seems that we are shouting at each other in person and online. Nobody is listening to one another unless they agree with their opinion. Social media and the 24/7 news cycle magnifies this tension. How do we lower the volume, stop shouting at each other, or get through a dinner with our family or friends without it ending in a fight or someone leaving angry? These are just some of the questions that I am frequently asked when I do transformational listening workshops. People ask, how do we lower the volume and listen with the current discord and political divide that currently exists in the United States? People feel stuck and that they have no other choice than to avoid any politically or emotionally charged topics and conversations at all costs. Even worse, many of us are removing people from our lives including loved ones, family members, and close friends, who do not believe what we believe, labeling them as stupid or of no value in our
lives because we don’t agree on these issues. Lifelong friendships and families are being shattered with parents and children no longer speaking with each other. We have managed to create bubbles where we only listen to and surround ourselves Christine Miles with those who share our viewpoints, marginalizing others who do not think like us or believe what we believe. Social media has played a role in this as well with people only associating online with those they agree with and the people who shout the loudest online get the most attention. But what is it costing us not listening to other viewpoints? It is costing us our democracy, the nation we have known, and people we hold dear. Political disagreements have been a part of our nation’s history dating back to Jefferson and Adams, who despite their great political differences remained friends and listened to each other’s point of views. As did Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas as they debated the future of the union. It is what has always stood out about the United States. People
Valley Views
10 - July 27, 2022
the world over have long marveled about the United States’ ability to listen to opposing views But now we no longer do. When did it happen that having opposing thoughts, ideas, and views became the recipe for disaster and hatred, instead of success? One of the main elements of American Democracy is providing an effective method to deal with conflicts and improve decision quality. The foundation of finding the best solutions is to bring people with different perspectives and ideas to the table to challenge thinking and spark ideas and to listen to all viewpoints. Doris Kearns Godwin masterfully demonstrated this her book, Team of Rivals, where she recounted how Abraham Lincoln brought together the men who had challenged him for the presidency and had different beliefs and leanings from him to wield together a team to win the American Civil War. Not only did he bring them together, but Lincoln also listened to them and combined their ideas with his. Businesses have long followed this model. In what corporate
This month’s fishing setup
R
attle D Zastors are fish getters! Lake trout under the whitefish and mixed in with them. Lake trout generally stay close to the bottom. 40 to 65 feet is the target for jigging.
Mac Man
Dick Zimmer
LETTER POLICY
meeting room would we suggest that we bring people together that think exactly alike to solve a difficult problem or innovate? The democratic process is based on bringing leaders together that represent opposing viewpoints, the voices of the people they represent, to find areas they agree, can compromise, and create solutions that are best for the majority. Discord, conversation, and opposing viewpoints were once welcomed allies of the democratic process. At the start of World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt reached across the aisle and brought some of his sharpest political opponents into his Cabinet to forge a team committed to victory. He believed opposing ideas
Valley Journal
would create a consensus and a winning strategy. He told his wife Eleanor, “there is power in listening to all viewpoints, taking the best of each, and combining them into one.” He even nominated a Republican, Harlan Fiske Stone, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to show unity (imagine that now). Today, the former allies of democracy are now enemies, which polarizes us instead of helping us find common ground. Listening has become a dirty word when everyone wants to shout. As the expression goes, what we fear we create. Fearing people who think differently and avoiding conversation and discourse only leads to more discord, see page 11
Letters to the editor are welcome. The content is the opinion of the letter writer and not the newspaper. The decision to publish letters is made by the editor. Letters must be 350 words or less. A writer will only be published twice per month. Letters may be edited for content or length, or may not be published if considered libelous, in poor taste, spiteful, self-promotional or of limited interest to the general readership. Space limitations also dictate when or if letters are published. Letters must be signed by the author and name, address and phone number must be included – phone number is for verification purposes only. Letters from organizations must include the name of at least one author. Please limit “thank you” letters to four people/organizations or less. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday to publish the following week. Opinions expressed in this section are not necessarily those of the newspaper.
