Session Fourteen Worksheet:
Coming Out of Corners

Objective:
Unlearn polarized indoctrination that breeds disconnection.

Pivot toward common-ground thinking.

Rethink It:
Move from Polarization to Common Ground

With the endless bickering between parties, affiliations, and territories, we are led to believe we have to pick a corner and stay in it, instead of finding common ground. In order to go beyond what is sold to us, we need to venture out and form brigades that helps us become more conscious, global, twenty-first-century citizens.

Common-Ground Check

• In what corners did I start my life?
• Am I still in the corner? What is this like for me?
• Do I spend time with people who see life differently than I do?
• Besides differences, what things do we share in common?
• What principles do I hold dearly? Are there times when they might interfere with outcomes?
• What can I learn from people I’m different from?
• Do I engage in inflammatory actions or associate with those who do? How can I pivot toward more conscious behavior?

Action Steps:
Branch Out and Find Common Ground

Society is filled with inflamators who delight in dumping gasoline on our fires, creating explosions that prevent us from seeing potential common ground. We all stand on different ground for different reasons, but we need to find and use our global lens to help us adopt a universal I-can-learn-from-you mind-set. We might not have a budget to travel the world, but here are some activities to help you cultivate connections that go beyond traditional boundaries:

1. Pull a Sinema. Go for a jog, take a spin class, initiate a walk with someone you know has opposite views and perspectives. Practice listening and asking questions, rather than providing your opinion or proving your own point. Try to listen for what made the other people arrive at their positions.

2. Compare and contrast. Select principles from a sample of one or two different religious or humanist frameworks, or from one professional domain to the other. How are they similar? In what ways do they differ? What can any of them learn from each other?

3. Listen. Play the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. What individual steps can you make toward a better society? What does society need to do more of? Less of? What will be your contribution as a conscious global citizen?

4. Deconstruct the corners. To see through religious and political divides, watch the documentary Seeing Red by Gerry Corneau and Leah Belsky. What aspects of society do you notice we are being propped up to fight, rather than understand? What will you do as a result?

5. Bring the world home with you. Travel everywhere you go with an open heart and mind. The way to the heart is often through the stomach. For starters, learn to expand your palate and try new foods. You can also listen to multicultural/world music, take in performances and art, read books, watch films, and make friendships with people from around the world, or even those who differ in varied ways. Come out of any corners in which you might be situated and give yourself as many opportunities as possible to experience new ways of seeing the world. Form brigades and expand your sandbox.