In today’s polarized political climate, the idea of changing a mind or a heart feels impossible. Clare Mulvany reflects on what it means to be open to the possibility of great change in yourself — and in others.
The Civil Conversations Project
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No one expected students from a predominately conservative, rural middle school in Ozark, Arkansas to connect so deeply and openly with a largely liberal, urban school in Boston. And yet, it happened.
What does it look like to both humanize and challenge friends with opposing viewpoints? A pen pal program between two middle schools in Boston, Massachusetts and Ozark, Arkansas provides some answers — and doodles.
Listening is a muscle we can exercise. Communal pondering and the power of the talking circle.
The work of building inclusive spaces is hard, lifelong work. But it can be nourished by a deep sense of abiding joy.
We often think of conversation as a means to communicate a specific point or a method to shift our perspective. But it can also simply be a vessel for the uncontainable.
Models and data show what’s happening to our planet, but are our conversations about climate change really about something deeper? A biologist poses a challenge to the scientific community, and to all of us: to infuse our debates not only with factual rigor, but with empathy and compassion, too.
A joyful group of international students puts on an unlikely production of a classic in American theatre — and discovers the power of storytelling to embody our surprising sameness across culture, geography, and time.
On questioning the habit of vilifying “gun people” for a fundamental part of their lives and identities — and on the deeper understanding that might bring us closer to the solution to violence that we all seek.
A young, gay Mormon’s testimony sparked a rift in her community — but, Erika Munson wonders, must we give in to the instinct to take sides? On lingering in the complex questions with a spirit of compassion that has room for our differences.
Can nations apologize for harm they've caused? A human rights scholar delves into the philosophical quandary of collective atonement.
A grassroots initiative is taking a road trip through America this summer to facilitate messy but healing conversations across political divides.
A young man sets a resolution for himself, and for us: to engage deeply with those on the other side, not with the goal of being right, but to recognize the desire for good that we all share.
The meditative ritual of bread-making becomes a respite from the frenzy and passivity of online life. A vision for an America in which all our experiences are folded together and baked in — and a recipe for homemade bread.
June 5, 2017
The Shape of Totalitarianism and the Meaning of Exile: Three Lessons from Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt's experience as a refugee during the Nazi regime, and the powerful lessons it has for our time.
Literature has the unique power to make us feel less alone in the world by elevating our deepest stories and connecting us beyond the divides of time, space, and politics.
A white Evangelical Christian, and a Trump supporter, offers a gentle challenge: to put our preconceived notions aside, and understand each other more deeply than what we put on our ballots.
Do conversations matter in this election? A lifelong believer in the power of conversation to transform conflict wrote to Krista asking for advice about how to understand the other side in this contentious election.
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