Marathon (literally!) conversations with my Aunt Judy and Uncle Bob this weekend were the most productive and most hopeful I've had in recent history. I learned so much from them by listening and being open. We were able to solve the world's problems by: 1) identifying, at the most basic level, what we all want; 2) finding instances of when and where this goal was successfully achieved; and 3) brainstorming a way to accomplish the same goal today.
For instance, how can we evoke patriotism in today's generation? We can show that we care about them by providing the same (more or less) path to middle class status that existed for previous generations. We could examine the patterns (e.g., compensation, taxation) and the policies (e.g., WPA, space exploration) that were successful and find parallels for today (e.g., jobs generated by updating our energy infrastructure).
This practice can be applied to my teaching and to my daily life. In class, small groups can use this model to find solutions for controversial social problems (and then present their findings). At each step in the process, group members can interview friends and family from other generations to include their insights. The end goal of the projects would be to unite around the fulfillment of basic needs rather than to divide around particular media reports, politicians or buzzwords. In my daily life, I can use this model to have rewarding and open conversations with more people.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy, and for celebrating our anniversary (and yours)! Much love. B.
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