This new article brings up some interesting issues in bridging gaps in
understanding and communication in our increasingly polarized
society.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
chris-mooney/why-republicans-d
I hope that all of you who are working for "change" might benefit from the perspective of this writer, a perspective which I found helpful and worthy of further study. Recently someone related a conversation to me about her showing a book to an elementary age school girl in the presence of her religiously conservative parents and being tool to put it away because "We don't believe in global warming".
As a former NASA scientist who strongly believes in educating our children not only about the concepts and facts of science, but also in the mature thinking processes that lead to good analysis of issues and the ability to conceive (and test) new theories, I am continually frustrated by the challenges of communicating with those who prefer, not only prefer, but seem to be wired, to live their lives with blinders on. And some of these individuals seem quite intelligent.
To quote from the article,
"Here's the bottom line: An increasing body of science suggests that we disagree about politics not for intellectual or philosophical reasons, but because we have fundamentally different ways of responding to the basic information presented to us by the world. These are often ways of which we are not even aware--automatic, subconscious--but that color all of our perceptions, and that effectively drive us apart politically."This jibes with what I have been saying for some time- You can't change minds unless you deal with the emotional framework involved. And here in Franklin County, PA, THAT can be a huge challenge.
Blessings to all
Lee Scott
No comments:
Post a Comment