A wonderful and enlightening read: Conversations on Pluralism in a city of the World. Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Syracuse University. http://www.syr.edu/chancellor/speeches/faradaySpeech.pdf
The words that spoke the loudest to me, adapted from the above article:
Appreciating ourselves is linked to appreciating others.
We must teach to engage pluralism.
In order to perceive the 'other' as human - we must cultivate our empathy of mind......the ability to see other worlds and other stories as if they were ours.
Real life example: the United Nations - the one body that houses the divided fragments of humanity....It is an idea, a symbol of an imagined and constructed community of strangers. It exists to bring about a world where fear is changed to hope...
Educated empathy: rooted in communication.
When groups are isolated from each other, it is extremely difficult - if not impossible - to enjoy and appreciate pluralism.
When we do not know each other, it is all too easy to blame the conditions of one's life on a monolithic, evil "other", dehumanized by group stereotypes.
Educational bridges are built through the deliberate dialogues and exchanges - which serve as pylons of these bridges.
One way to build the bridges: storytelling. All of a sudden, "your" story turns out to be "my" story too. This humanizes the other, as voices across a divide begin to sound a similar note.
Our freedoms are only meaningful if shared with others.
A caring, global society with the ethos that reflects the spirit of the Shona greeting:
"How are you?"
Response: "I am only well if you, too, are well."
Sigh. Beautiful.
It is my hope that we gravitate towards a world that embodies this... we have potential.
ReplyDelete"How are you?"
Response: "I am only well if you, too, are well."