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(Music) Society builders pave the way to a

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better world, to a better day.

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A united approach to building a new society.

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Join the conversation for social transformation. Society Builders.

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Society Builders with your host, Duane Varan.

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(Duane) Welcome to another exciting episode of

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Society Builders, and thanks for joining

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the conversation for social transformation.

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In our current sequence of episodes, we've been

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exploring the science of depolarization and how we

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can best bring antagonistic groups closer together.

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Now, you'll be pleased to hear that

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we are not alone in this ambition.

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It shouldn't surprise you that if polarization is

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one of the biggest problems of our age,

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there will be many, many, many like-minded people

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working to address that very problem.

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And today we're going to talk to an expert

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who is part of an initiative at Princeton University

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to map out such initiatives, a task that has

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already resulted in them identifying over 6700 organizations committed

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to addressing polarization in the United States alone.

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And they're not done.

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There are literally thousands of organizations that are

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not yet included in their mapping exercise.

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So today's episode should help you weigh up and

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consider the kinds of like-minded organizations you might

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want to collaborate with as you contemplate how to

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best respond to the challenges of polarization.

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Now, my guest today is Nealin Parker, who

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is the perfect person to address this theme.

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Nealin has remarkable pedigree.

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She served as a senior administrator during the

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Obama administration, both in her capacity as, first,

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Deputy Director and then Acting Director of the

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Office of Transitions Initiatives at USAID.

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Now, USAID is the agency of the

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US government responsible for administering aid to

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the rest of the world, America's social

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and economic development agency, so to speak.

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And the transitions office is the part of

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USAID that is responsible for countries either currently

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in a conflict or just recovering from one.

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So her role here directly addressed aid

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in the most dire of circumstances.

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She also previously served as Chief of

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Staff at the Department of Housing and

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Urban Development, commonly referred to as HUD.

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That means she was Chief of Staff to

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a cabinet level appointee of the Obama administration.

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I mean, that's really serious.

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That's senior.

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And currently she's Executive Director of Common Ground,

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which is the US branch of Search for

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Common Ground, which is one of the largest

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non governmental peacebuilding organizations in the world.

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Now, Nealin has also taught at Princeton University,

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where she was one of the founding co-

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directors of that major initiative that I referred

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to earlier to map our organizations in the

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United States working to bridge divides.

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It's called the Bridging Divides Initiative.

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And today we'll get a chance to discover

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what she's been learning about the kind of

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initiatives, the kind of organizations committed to depolarization.

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So without further ado, Nealin,

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welcome to Society Builders. (Nealin) Thank you.

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It is wonderful to be here.

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Thanks for having me.

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(Duane) I'm so excited because today we're going to explore

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how people can collaborate with others in finding their

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path to helping deal with this polarization issue that

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we've been talking about across these past episodes.

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Now, Nealin,

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before we get into that specific topic,

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first, let's get the audience acquainted with you.

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Of course, you're the Executive Director of

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Common Ground USA, which is the US

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Office of Search for Common Ground.

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So tell us a little bit about who Search for Common

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Ground is and what it is that this organization does.

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(Nealin) That's wonderful. Thank you.

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Thank you for that opportunity.

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Search for Common Ground is actually

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a Nobel Prize nominated organization.

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It works in 40 countries around the world

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and has worked for over 40 years in

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trying to prevent conflict from turning into violence.

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And the US piece is taking the best

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lessons that we have from countries recovering from

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conflict and translating them back to this country

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and polarization in our context.

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So the thing that's wonderful for me is that

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I feel like I work with people who both

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understand deeply how bad it can get and also

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never lose hope knowing that it can get better. (Duane) Wow.

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That is such a massive idea, this idea of

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reflection, looking at conflict zones around the world, gleaning

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lessons from those situations, from those crises, and then

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seeing what aspects of those kind of, like, apply

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to the different kind of crises we're facing here

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in the United States.

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What a massive undertaking.

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(Nealin) Yeah, it is a massive undertaking, which is

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why I'm grateful to be standing on the

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shoulders of giants who've come before me.

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(Duane) And in addition to the work that you

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do with Search for Common Ground, you were

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also one of the founding co-directors of

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the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University.

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Tell us a little bit about

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what the Bridging Divides Initiative is.

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(Nealin) So the Bridging Divides Initiative has

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in some ways a similar origin.

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I worked in countries recovering from conflict for years

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before coming here, and I saw different strategies and

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tools that people had around the world.

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And one of them is to have documentation of where

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political violence or war, where violent incidents are happening, so

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that you can understand some of the patterns and some

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of the areas that are at higher risk and then

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be able to respond to those.

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So at the Bridging Divides Initiative,

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we did two different things.

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One is we worked with an organization to try

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to not only document what are the things that

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are happening here, but to try to analyze that

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in real time so that people could be responsive.

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The other thing that we did was to try to

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map out who could be responsive, who is, in a

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sense, an asset for reducing the temperature, for creating a

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context that was less conducive to political violence.

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And so we mapped out about 6000

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different organizations across the country in all

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states that were doing things like building

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community, that were working across differences.

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And we have a variety of differences in this country.

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And so it wasn't just here is somebody

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who identifies as working across a political divide.

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It was people who work across the varieties of divisions

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that we have in a whole bunch of different ways.

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And the thing that was interesting to me, coming

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from working in countries that are recovering from conflict,

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is so few of those organizations self identified as

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what I would call peace building.

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People who are working not just to end conflict, but

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to build that kind of social cohesion and just society

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that is self sustaining, a kind of positive peace.

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That's something that is a known term and

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a used term internationally and in the United States.

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People who do that work sometimes

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call themselves civil rights activists.

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They sometimes call themselves librarians.

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They sometimes call themselves democracy defenders.

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They sometimes call themselves

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everybody's favorite grandma.

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And that range means that there are a

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lot of, again, what I called assets.

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There are a lot of people who are doing

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the serious work of this in so many different

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ways that haven't been tapped or don't see themselves

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as the bigger part of this movement.

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But I see them as fundamentally the only

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way we get through these difficult times.

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(Duane) Yeah, it's so amazing.

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When I started doing the research around the polarization

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theme, I was shocked when I came across the

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Bridging Divides Initiative to see just how many thousands

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of organizations there are just in the United States

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that are dealing with this construct of bringing antagonistic

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groups closer together in some way or form around,

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as you say, all kinds of different kinds of

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divides, whether that be religious divides, racial divides, of course

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political divides, all kinds of things that are standing

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in between people.

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But the scale of it, over 6000 organizations

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doing this work, it's just incredible to see

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how strong the social response has been to

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this issue of polarization, really.

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(Nealin) I think that's right.

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But I also think that that was a

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deep undercounting of what is out there.

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There are so many more organizations.

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The way that we did it, the methodology

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that we used was to take organizations that

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had connected to a broader network already.

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And the idea was we wanted to be

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able to share information out to that broader

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network and we wanted those organizations to kind

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of be able to connect with each other.

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We weren't ourselves the infrastructure that would be able

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to bring everybody together, but we wanted to be

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able to reach out to that broad group and

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have, if there were a crisis, theoretically be able

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to activate those folks to be able to respond.

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So already you can tell that so many organizations are

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not going to themselves sign up for as a nonprofit,

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would to be part of a larger coalition.

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Faith organizations in particular, I would say, are missing

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from that map, and that's actually a great thing.

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It means that we are undercounting the infrastructure that

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we have in this country to be responsive.

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And I said faith organizations, not just like

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we're undercounting some marginal pieces, we are undercounting

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some very fundamental and strong networks in this

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country that can be responsive.

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(Duane) Yeah, I noticed that as well as I

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was looking through the 6700 plus organizations in

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the list, there are very few faith organizations.

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And as we've been discovering in our interview with

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Rabbi Roli Matalon and in our interview with Andrea

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Bartoli, I mean, of course, the Baha'i's as well,

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it's very clear that religious communities have a very

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strong engagement with this polarization issue as well.

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So I see your point, but it is exciting to see

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that the 6700 is the tip of an iceberg here.

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There are literally many, many thousands of organizations, and

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that means that wherever you live, there are probably

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other people who are also concerned about this problem

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and who are doing something about it.

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(Nealin) Yes, my friend, that is the point.

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That is exactly right.

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(Duane) And so what we want to do today is we

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want to give the audience a little bit of a

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sense of who these organizations are, these thousands of people

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across the country who are coming together in some kind

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of community driven initiative to respond to the polarization.

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Who are these and what forms do these take?

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What are the different types of initiatives that

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these organizations are taking to respond to and

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combat this kind of polarization in society.

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(Nealin) So I think it's going to be hard for us to

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capture it in one sitting because there is so much out

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there and because there's so much variety out there.

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So one of the things that I would say is, like the

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map, this is going to be a little bit of a tip

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of the iceberg, but I hope what we can do is give

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people a little bit of the flavors of options that are out

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there enough to catalyze your interest to kind of go out there.

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If you have an interest, there

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is somebody out there doing it.

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There is a running club, there is an art studio,

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and they are all bringing things together in different ways.

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So one of the things, if you don't mind, I'd like

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to step back a little bit to where I was before

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of what does it mean to be a peace builder?

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What does it mean to contribute

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to depolarization in this country?

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And one of the things that I said before

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that I'll just sort of bring back here is

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that when we're looking at a healthy and just

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society, there are things that kind of need to

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move in the right direction at the same time.

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So there are groups that are working on

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faith and trust and efficacy of institutions.

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So connecting you with your mayor and connecting you on

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solving a problem locally, that's one body of work.

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There are also people who are working

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on specifically building community or on depolarization.

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And then there are people who are working

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on reducing hate or reducing myths and disinformation.

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And all of these seem like big buckets of

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things, and they are big buckets of things.

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But anybody who's working on any of those pieces is

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contributing to a healthy and just society, and a society

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where the likelihood of violence reduces overall and where the

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likelihood of being able to go through hard things and

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come out on the other side stronger increases.

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So that's everything from like a

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really tense election to another pandemic.

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If we had these pieces, people having trust in our

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government, in our elections, in our institutions, people having trust

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in each other and the media, and people really wanting

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to reduce the incidence of violence themselves, then you get

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like a self perpetuating good out there and the ability

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to take hard things, have them happen, but come out

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stronger on the other side.

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So in terms of how do you get involved, those

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are the kind of different areas that I think about.

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And then what do you do?

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Often you start out by just finding out information.

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So getting educated is a thing to do.

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If you're on this podcast and listening to it,

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hopefully in your car with a nice cup of

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tea or something lovely by the fire, something.

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This is a moment where you are doing the thing, you

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are getting educated, but there's more that you can do.

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So, for example, you can learn about

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somebody who thinks differently than you do.

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And you may not see that as a massive action

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that is responsive to this huge problem that we're facing,

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but it is an incredibly important first step.

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It is the first step of every peace agreement

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that ever ended any war is people who think

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that they don't have something in common.

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Listening to each other to solve the shared problem

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of ending that war, and it's the basis of

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anything else that you're going to do.

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So there are organizations

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like Living Room Conversations.

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If you say, like, I don't know

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how to start even having a conversation.

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They have templates.

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And you can host a conversation in your home.

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You can start out by attending, and then you can

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host one in your home, or you can just look

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00:15:34,813 --> 00:15:37,836
at their guidelines for here's how you would go about

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having a conversation, a dialogue about difference.

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There are groups like the Preemptive Love Coalition, which

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has become a partner with Search for Common Ground.

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They host Love Anyway Feasts, and these are gatherings

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where people can come together across differences and host

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a dinner and learn about each other.

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And anybody can be a host of something like that.

315
00:16:01,013 --> 00:16:03,172
Again, if you need a little bit extra about

316
00:16:03,173 --> 00:16:04,692
how you're like, okay, I can talk to people

317
00:16:04,693 --> 00:16:07,278
who are different, but there are, like, politics.

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Politics is too hard for me.

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I can't do that because I

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have too many feelings on that.

321
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There's an organization called Braver Angels that specializes specifically

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00:16:16,351 --> 00:16:18,578
in talking about what they call the red blue

323
00:16:18,579 --> 00:16:21,890
divide, but that lies on top of politics.

324
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They kind of go beyond the parties themselves and think

325
00:16:24,973 --> 00:16:27,426
about it in a little bit of a broader context.

326
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So you can learn information about how

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00:16:30,801 --> 00:16:33,478
to have some of these conversations.

328
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So this is like starting to like, what

329
00:16:35,249 --> 00:16:37,296
are the actions that you want to take?

330
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You can join an alliance, for example, with

331
00:16:39,873 --> 00:16:43,434
Braver Angels, but you can also get involved

332
00:16:43,435 --> 00:16:46,292
in what is happening in your local community.

333
00:16:46,293 --> 00:16:48,932
And again, one of the things that is

334
00:16:48,933 --> 00:16:52,116
so important is that that kind of, like,

335
00:16:52,117 --> 00:16:56,790
weaving of belonging at the local community level.

336
00:16:56,791 --> 00:17:01,128
So there is, for example, a network of librarians that

337
00:17:01,129 --> 00:17:04,862
is part of the Listen First Coalition, and they host

338
00:17:04,863 --> 00:17:09,218
events that are open to everybody in their town.

339
00:17:09,219 --> 00:17:11,788
If you like books and you can't see

340
00:17:11,789 --> 00:17:13,627
because it's a podcast, but I'm surrounded by

341
00:17:13,628 --> 00:17:15,579
books and these kind of things.

342
00:17:15,580 --> 00:17:20,348
And if you're somebody who wants to be part of community and

343
00:17:20,349 --> 00:17:24,640
a community that is open to all people, that is a space

344
00:17:24,641 --> 00:17:28,768
that is known as a really open place that anybody can be

345
00:17:28,769 --> 00:17:31,648
part of, and it's a kind of low barrier to entry, you

346
00:17:31,649 --> 00:17:34,308
might be like, you know, I'm not ready for big thing, but

347
00:17:34,309 --> 00:17:36,180
I want to be a part of something.

348
00:17:36,181 --> 00:17:38,596
Being part of building a community in your

349
00:17:38,597 --> 00:17:52,568
town is actually part of the main.    (Duane) What are some of the organizations that

350
00:17:52,569 --> 00:17:56,354
do that, that build this kind of depolarization

351
00:17:56,355 --> 00:17:59,164
effort around cooking around food?

352
00:17:59,165 --> 00:18:03,580
(Nealin) So, first of all, food is a great unifier in the world.

353
00:18:03,581 --> 00:18:06,956
And in our country, and there is a reason

354
00:18:06,957 --> 00:18:09,312
that we say we need to 'break bread together',

355
00:18:09,313 --> 00:18:14,166
not just meaning that literally, but meaning that figuratively.

356
00:18:14,167 --> 00:18:17,408
And so a lot of groups, they understand

357
00:18:17,409 --> 00:18:21,456
you have food as the focal point and

358
00:18:21,457 --> 00:18:23,524
you are able to bring people together.

359
00:18:23,525 --> 00:18:27,108
So things like Make America Dinner Again, or I

360
00:18:27,109 --> 00:18:29,652
mentioned before, the Love Anyway Feasts where you bring

361
00:18:29,653 --> 00:18:33,252
people together around a meal and everybody brings part

362
00:18:33,253 --> 00:18:35,976
of what brings the food that makes them happy.

363
00:18:35,977 --> 00:18:38,936
And that's part of what the conversation is,

364
00:18:38,937 --> 00:18:41,262
the people supper or resetting the table.

365
00:18:41,263 --> 00:18:45,288
There are so many organizations that really anchor in

366
00:18:45,289 --> 00:18:49,628
that sense of food and cooking and community around

367
00:18:49,629 --> 00:18:53,004
that food being part of what brings us together.

368
00:18:53,005 --> 00:18:53,682
(Duane) Fantastic.

369
00:18:53,683 --> 00:18:55,148
And there are also a lot of

370
00:18:55,149 --> 00:18:57,980
organizations that focus specifically on students.

371
00:18:57,981 --> 00:19:01,312
Of course, universities in particular are

372
00:19:01,313 --> 00:19:03,120
like these places where these issues

373
00:19:03,121 --> 00:19:06,118
are often talked through very actively.

374
00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:08,848
There's an active discussion about difference.

375
00:19:08,849 --> 00:19:10,832
What are some of the organizations that

376
00:19:10,833 --> 00:19:13,984
are focused on bringing students together?

377
00:19:13,985 --> 00:19:15,636
(Nealin) Yeah, that is such a good question.

378
00:19:15,637 --> 00:19:18,212
And I think such an important group of people

379
00:19:18,213 --> 00:19:20,228
in the country, not only is it because these

380
00:19:20,229 --> 00:19:21,828
are the future leaders that are going to have

381
00:19:21,829 --> 00:19:25,112
to pull us through, but exactly as you said,

382
00:19:25,113 --> 00:19:30,552
universities can be a center of this beautiful space

383
00:19:30,553 --> 00:19:34,024
where people are trying to figure this out.

384
00:19:34,025 --> 00:19:36,110
And there aren't easy answers.

385
00:19:36,111 --> 00:19:38,668
And so they can kind of be the front lines for

386
00:19:38,669 --> 00:19:43,868
polarization or for pandemics or for any number of things.

387
00:19:43,869 --> 00:19:45,292
So, yeah, there are a lot of

388
00:19:45,293 --> 00:19:47,676
organizations that are thinking about that.

389
00:19:47,677 --> 00:19:51,174
One that I have really enjoyed

390
00:19:51,175 --> 00:19:53,862
seeing their growth is Bridge USA.

391
00:19:53,863 --> 00:19:57,782
And there, there's an opportunity to join campus chapters,

392
00:19:57,783 --> 00:20:00,512
which is great because it means that you can

393
00:20:00,513 --> 00:20:04,212
either join a chapter with existing, or if you

394
00:20:04,213 --> 00:20:07,588
want to start a chapter, then you don't have

395
00:20:07,589 --> 00:20:09,738
to do this thing all alone.

396
00:20:09,739 --> 00:20:12,452
There are other people who have started chapters at

397
00:20:12,453 --> 00:20:15,668
other universities that can be a resource for you.

398
00:20:15,669 --> 00:20:18,072
I think one of the things that I found a lot

399
00:20:18,073 --> 00:20:20,232
in this work is that people think that they are an

400
00:20:20,233 --> 00:20:23,160
island and they either feel like I'm working on my own,

401
00:20:23,161 --> 00:20:26,408
how can I have this big impact, or I'm working on

402
00:20:26,409 --> 00:20:28,076
my own and I don't know what to do.

403
00:20:28,077 --> 00:20:29,858
And it can feel really lonely.

404
00:20:29,859 --> 00:20:31,996
The zeitgeist of our time is

405
00:20:31,997 --> 00:20:34,130
one of pulling people apart.

406
00:20:34,131 --> 00:20:37,308
How can I be part of something bigger than myself?

407
00:20:37,309 --> 00:20:42,256
So I really enjoy these chapter organizations that

408
00:20:42,257 --> 00:20:45,062
allow people to be part of something larger,

409
00:20:45,063 --> 00:20:47,344
even as they're focused at the local level.

410
00:20:47,345 --> 00:20:49,168
There, there are other organizations like

411
00:20:49,169 --> 00:20:52,166
campus conversation or sustained dialogue.

412
00:20:52,167 --> 00:20:55,316
And I've also worked with a group called Solia that

413
00:20:55,317 --> 00:20:59,556
does campus work, but online, and it connects students over

414
00:20:59,557 --> 00:21:01,956
a long period of time, but it connects them online

415
00:21:01,957 --> 00:21:04,744
ahead of orientation, so that by the time they even

416
00:21:04,745 --> 00:21:08,712
get to the university, they have skill sets that help

417
00:21:08,713 --> 00:21:11,678
them have dialogues across difference, so that the culture that's

418
00:21:11,679 --> 00:21:15,832
created of that class is infused with these ideas of

419
00:21:15,833 --> 00:21:17,580
how to work across difference.

420
00:21:17,581 --> 00:21:19,788
And then even before you get to

421
00:21:19,789 --> 00:21:23,820
university, there is the American Exchange Project,

422
00:21:23,821 --> 00:21:25,324
which is a high school project.

423
00:21:25,325 --> 00:21:27,634
Although if there's anybody out there who is willing

424
00:21:27,635 --> 00:21:29,152
to be a host, I know that they are

425
00:21:29,153 --> 00:21:31,840
looking for some really amazing hosts out there.

426
00:21:31,841 --> 00:21:33,328
It is the coolest idea.

427
00:21:33,329 --> 00:21:35,958
It's how to bring kids who are growing

428
00:21:35,959 --> 00:21:40,192
up in one experience into the homes, the

429
00:21:40,193 --> 00:21:42,548
sort of like, core of another experience.

430
00:21:42,549 --> 00:21:46,548
So you can have a student in Brooklyn having

431
00:21:46,549 --> 00:21:49,956
a rodeo experience from the inside out, with a

432
00:21:49,957 --> 00:21:53,812
student their own age who is hosting them in

433
00:21:53,813 --> 00:21:55,828
that community, or with other students who are having

434
00:21:55,829 --> 00:21:57,400
this experience from across the country.

435
00:21:57,401 --> 00:22:00,824
So you can either be a student who's signing up

436
00:22:00,825 --> 00:22:03,102
to have that experience, or you can be a host

437
00:22:03,103 --> 00:22:06,136
who's signing up to say, here's what I love about

438
00:22:06,137 --> 00:22:09,388
my community that I hope somebody else gets to know.

439
00:22:09,389 --> 00:22:12,780
And giving students that opportunity to learn across difference

440
00:22:12,781 --> 00:22:15,362
at that age can be really life changing.

441
00:22:15,363 --> 00:22:18,560
And you can get somebody, a young person who

442
00:22:18,561 --> 00:22:22,102
you've got the next 70 years, knock on wood

443
00:22:22,103 --> 00:22:25,456
of their lives, dedicated to making sure that other

444
00:22:25,457 --> 00:22:28,460
people have the experience of working across difference.

445
00:22:38,050 --> 00:22:40,324
And of course, so much of the challenge of the

446
00:22:40,325 --> 00:22:43,774
divisions of our age really is still centered around religion.

447
00:22:43,775 --> 00:22:45,512
(Duane) What do you see in the way of

448
00:22:45,513 --> 00:22:49,726
organizations that are working to create interfaith dialogue,

449
00:22:49,727 --> 00:22:54,070
to bridge those differences between religious communities?

450
00:22:54,071 --> 00:22:56,238
(Nealin) Again, there are too many to be named

451
00:22:56,239 --> 00:22:57,692
in a short period of time here.

452
00:22:57,693 --> 00:22:59,628
So I just want to have a moment of

453
00:22:59,629 --> 00:23:03,682
gratitude for the people who are working in organized

454
00:23:03,683 --> 00:23:07,628
ways and also just church to synagogue and across

455
00:23:07,629 --> 00:23:10,294
all of these different faith communities.

456
00:23:10,295 --> 00:23:13,318
So a couple that I would mention, the Shoulder

457
00:23:13,319 --> 00:23:17,718
to Shoulder Campaign, which allows you to be multiple

458
00:23:17,719 --> 00:23:20,772
faiths, but they have a strong Christian community that

459
00:23:20,773 --> 00:23:24,810
is being allies to the Muslim community, the Telos

460
00:23:24,811 --> 00:23:29,706
Organization that has taught people how to become peacemakers.

461
00:23:29,707 --> 00:23:31,018
They have a focus on Israel,

462
00:23:31,019 --> 00:23:33,146
Palestine and the Deep South.

463
00:23:33,147 --> 00:23:34,728
But I think one of the things that I

464
00:23:34,729 --> 00:23:37,272
would say about the interreligious work is in so

465
00:23:37,273 --> 00:23:41,112
many ways, it's ahead of even the polarization work.

466
00:23:41,113 --> 00:23:44,440
It's teaching lessons to the rest of us

467
00:23:44,441 --> 00:23:47,020
about how to do this, because so often

468
00:23:47,021 --> 00:23:50,178
when people are thinking about political polarization, they're

469
00:23:50,179 --> 00:23:53,452
thinking about how to change someone else.

470
00:23:53,453 --> 00:23:57,196
How do I make you believe what I believe,

471
00:23:57,197 --> 00:23:59,132
and that's how we're going to get along.

472
00:23:59,133 --> 00:24:01,462
And the thing that I love about the interfaith

473
00:24:01,463 --> 00:24:04,512
work is that it's moved beyond that concept to

474
00:24:04,513 --> 00:24:08,166
how do I show respect for your beliefs?

475
00:24:08,167 --> 00:24:10,442
And you show respect for my beliefs.

476
00:24:10,443 --> 00:24:14,800
How do we live together with our separate beliefs in.

477
00:24:15,890 --> 00:24:21,924
So, you know, groups like Interfaith America started

478
00:24:21,925 --> 00:24:25,672
out thinking, really focused on interfaith work.

479
00:24:25,673 --> 00:24:29,320
But because the way that interfaith work is

480
00:24:29,321 --> 00:24:32,942
so transferable to so many other divisions, they've

481
00:24:32,943 --> 00:24:35,778
started working on a number of efforts, including

482
00:24:35,779 --> 00:24:38,290
partnerships with Habitat for Humanity.

483
00:24:38,291 --> 00:24:40,460
So they're talking and working across

484
00:24:40,461 --> 00:24:43,980
divisions into that local volunteer space.

485
00:24:43,981 --> 00:24:48,592
So another fabulous organization working on faith with

486
00:24:48,593 --> 00:24:52,080
faith communities, but really focused on attacking that

487
00:24:52,081 --> 00:24:54,928
toxic polarization is the One America Movement, and

488
00:24:54,929 --> 00:24:58,886
they're also creating online trainings and resources.

489
00:24:58,887 --> 00:25:02,042
So that's also an easy way for you to get connected

490
00:25:02,043 --> 00:25:04,452
in, even if you don't see something happening in your own

491
00:25:04,453 --> 00:25:07,550
community, a way for you to connect to those resources.

492
00:25:17,430 --> 00:25:19,342
(Duane) You mentioned Habitat for Humanity.

493
00:25:19,343 --> 00:25:21,758
It reminds me of a whole nother universe

494
00:25:21,759 --> 00:25:26,076
of these organizations which are focused on service.

495
00:25:26,077 --> 00:25:28,802
So the path to finding that path to unity

496
00:25:28,803 --> 00:25:32,748
is really grounded in this idea of service.

497
00:25:32,749 --> 00:25:34,668
Maybe you could highlight a couple

498
00:25:34,669 --> 00:25:37,470
of organizations in that realm.

499
00:25:37,471 --> 00:25:40,646
(Nealin) Yeah, so volunteer organizations.

500
00:25:40,647 --> 00:25:42,768
One of the things that is really important is

501
00:25:42,769 --> 00:25:46,726
that we don't stop at just talking across differences.

502
00:25:46,727 --> 00:25:50,592
If you have a conversation across difference, that

503
00:25:50,593 --> 00:25:54,228
is a way to start what turns into

504
00:25:54,229 --> 00:25:57,226
a relationship, that turns into collaborative action.

505
00:25:57,227 --> 00:26:00,628
And that collaborative action is what you need to

506
00:26:00,629 --> 00:26:03,044
be able to sort of make a real difference.

507
00:26:03,045 --> 00:26:05,608
So one of the things that I think is

508
00:26:05,609 --> 00:26:08,632
so powerful about these service organizations is that they

509
00:26:08,633 --> 00:26:11,294
are starting from a place of action.

510
00:26:11,295 --> 00:26:14,286
Habitat for Humanity is building houses

511
00:26:14,287 --> 00:26:15,336
to be able to bring

512
00:26:15,337 --> 00:26:20,748
the ethos of doing that work across difference is,

513
00:26:20,749 --> 00:26:22,812
first of all, I think it's a natural thing.

514
00:26:22,813 --> 00:26:25,884
But in addition to that, it's a really powerful way

515
00:26:25,885 --> 00:26:28,978
to think about how to do this because it doesn't

516
00:26:28,979 --> 00:26:32,512
just end at the conversation, and it's a natural way

517
00:26:32,513 --> 00:26:35,472
to bring people who might otherwise be very, very different.

518
00:26:35,473 --> 00:26:39,696
So somebody who knows how to hammer and somebody who

519
00:26:39,697 --> 00:26:44,612
knows how to shovel may not have other things that

520
00:26:44,613 --> 00:26:47,348
they know of in common, but if they need to

521
00:26:47,349 --> 00:26:50,292
be able to shovel and then hammer together to build

522
00:26:50,293 --> 00:26:53,140
that house, they already have one thing in common.

523
00:26:53,141 --> 00:26:55,492
They already both got up that morning and said,

524
00:26:55,493 --> 00:26:56,808
the thing that I want to do with the

525
00:26:56,809 --> 00:26:59,768
precious resource of my time is I want to

526
00:26:59,769 --> 00:27:02,456
build a home for somebody else that is a

527
00:27:02,457 --> 00:27:07,432
starting place for coming together around other things.

528
00:27:07,433 --> 00:27:08,972
We care about this community.

529
00:27:08,973 --> 00:27:10,988
We want good things to happen here.

530
00:27:10,989 --> 00:27:14,412
So Habitat gives you an opportunity for that.

531
00:27:14,413 --> 00:27:16,258
Things like City Year are really focused

532
00:27:16,259 --> 00:27:19,248
on bringing volunteers from experiences that are

533
00:27:19,249 --> 00:27:22,902
different than where they're volunteering and allowing

534
00:27:22,903 --> 00:27:24,496
that to be part of the program.

535
00:27:24,497 --> 00:27:28,544
And in fact, all Americorps programs are really thinking

536
00:27:28,545 --> 00:27:33,392
about themselves as how can we as individuals be

537
00:27:33,393 --> 00:27:35,428
part of this bridge, but also how can the

538
00:27:35,429 --> 00:27:37,258
work that we do, the volunteer work that we're

539
00:27:37,259 --> 00:27:39,572
doing in our communities, be part of that?

540
00:27:39,573 --> 00:27:42,372
The Red Cross and United Way are two other

541
00:27:42,373 --> 00:27:45,508
service organizations that are thinking about how do we

542
00:27:45,509 --> 00:27:48,856
do this work, not only with the benefit of

543
00:27:48,857 --> 00:27:51,448
the community building, but how do we do it

544
00:27:51,449 --> 00:27:54,152
really intentionally, thinking about how we do this build

545
00:27:54,153 --> 00:27:57,948
in ways that brings people across difference. (Duane) Amazing.

546
00:27:57,949 --> 00:27:59,590
Such incredible opportunities.

547
00:28:08,990 --> 00:28:13,158
Now, Nealin, we've gone from people not knowing

548
00:28:13,159 --> 00:28:15,808
that there are any organizations out there who

549
00:28:15,809 --> 00:28:19,078
they could potentially collaborate with to a universe

550
00:28:19,079 --> 00:28:20,448
where now it just seems like there's an

551
00:28:20,449 --> 00:28:22,678
infinite number of organizations.

552
00:28:22,679 --> 00:28:25,226
I'm sure people will feel a little bit overwhelmed

553
00:28:25,227 --> 00:28:28,372
suddenly about, well, I want to collaborate now, but

554
00:28:28,373 --> 00:28:31,108
which of these many organizations should I collaborate with?

555
00:28:31,109 --> 00:28:33,710
How do people go about figuring

556
00:28:33,711 --> 00:28:37,576
out which organization to collaborate with?

557
00:28:37,577 --> 00:28:39,502
How do people navigate through that choice?

558
00:28:39,503 --> 00:28:42,632
How do they find the organizations that

559
00:28:42,633 --> 00:28:44,936
they're best suited to collaborate with?

560
00:28:44,937 --> 00:28:48,226
(Nealin) So you should always start with what interests

561
00:28:48,227 --> 00:28:51,660
you, and that will help you figure out

562
00:28:51,661 --> 00:28:54,924
which of the many, many organizations are good.

563
00:28:54,925 --> 00:28:59,110
But I've given you, as I said, the tip of the iceberg.

564
00:28:59,111 --> 00:29:01,878
The map that exists on the Bridging

565
00:29:01,879 --> 00:29:06,064
Divides Initiative website is a great place

566
00:29:06,065 --> 00:29:08,262
that you can search by location.

567
00:29:08,263 --> 00:29:10,900
So if you're looking for what's something near me,

568
00:29:10,901 --> 00:29:13,252
or you can search by topic and area of

569
00:29:13,253 --> 00:29:17,124
interest, these are places that you can find some.

570
00:29:17,125 --> 00:29:20,884
Another really great place to go is the Listen

571
00:29:20,885 --> 00:29:26,616
First Coalition website, and that has just a ton

572
00:29:26,617 --> 00:29:29,512
of organizations, and you can click on anyone to

573
00:29:29,513 --> 00:29:32,040
find out more about what they do.

574
00:29:32,041 --> 00:29:34,392
And as I said, it's hundreds of

575
00:29:34,393 --> 00:29:36,466
organizations that are part of that coalition.

576
00:29:36,467 --> 00:29:39,436
I have mentioned only a few of them here.

577
00:29:39,437 --> 00:29:42,892
So I would strongly recommend that you go

578
00:29:42,893 --> 00:29:46,066
online and look at the list of coalition

579
00:29:46,067 --> 00:29:48,588
members there to give you an idea.

580
00:29:48,589 --> 00:29:50,460
(Duane) And we'll have links for these

581
00:29:50,461 --> 00:29:52,722
on the description for this podcast.

582
00:29:52,723 --> 00:29:54,086
This is the a note for my listeners.

583
00:29:54,087 --> 00:29:56,326
If you look at the description of the podcast,

584
00:29:56,327 --> 00:30:00,326
you'll see the URLs for both of these directories.

585
00:30:00,327 --> 00:30:01,600
(Nealin) Great. Thank you.

586
00:30:10,930 --> 00:30:14,408
(Duane) So now we have thousands of organizations, but

587
00:30:14,409 --> 00:30:16,712
I'm sure there's a lot of variability in

588
00:30:16,713 --> 00:30:19,176
the quality of the programs that are there.

589
00:30:19,177 --> 00:30:24,840
How do people know how much thought and discipline and

590
00:30:24,841 --> 00:30:28,460
how well structured any of these programs really are?

591
00:30:28,461 --> 00:30:30,748
(Nealin) That is a really good question and a

592
00:30:30,749 --> 00:30:33,756
discerning question, and it is not the case

593
00:30:33,757 --> 00:30:36,914
that all organizations are created equal.

594
00:30:36,915 --> 00:30:39,600
I would say that the ones that I've mentioned here

595
00:30:39,601 --> 00:30:44,272
are ones that have been vetted, but there are many

596
00:30:44,273 --> 00:30:47,558
more beyond that I wouldn't want to discount.

597
00:30:47,559 --> 00:30:49,728
I think one of the things that I would look

598
00:30:49,729 --> 00:30:54,836
to is, do you feel like you have done enough

599
00:30:54,837 --> 00:30:57,988
research on the organization itself, so you can look at

600
00:30:57,989 --> 00:31:01,892
the website and then you can do, as you would

601
00:31:01,893 --> 00:31:06,782
with any other organization, a search of that organization.

602
00:31:06,783 --> 00:31:09,144
Do they come up in the news in any way?

603
00:31:09,145 --> 00:31:10,280
If it's a really local

604
00:31:10,281 --> 00:31:12,446
organization, they probably won't.

605
00:31:12,447 --> 00:31:15,128
But then you can also start where

606
00:31:15,129 --> 00:31:17,084
I said before, you start by learning.

607
00:31:17,085 --> 00:31:20,546
So you can start by downloading a resource guide

608
00:31:20,547 --> 00:31:24,300
and see if that resource guide resonates for you.

609
00:31:24,301 --> 00:31:27,708
And then all you've lost, really, if you look

610
00:31:27,709 --> 00:31:29,932
at it and you say, really, this doesn't actually

611
00:31:29,933 --> 00:31:32,588
feel like it solves what I'm looking for, and

612
00:31:32,589 --> 00:31:33,968
it's not really what I'm interested to.

613
00:31:33,969 --> 00:31:36,608
All you've really lost in that moment is the time it

614
00:31:36,609 --> 00:31:38,896
took for you to download the thing and read over it.

615
00:31:38,897 --> 00:31:40,736
And in some ways, that might actually

616
00:31:40,737 --> 00:31:43,402
help you be a bit more discerning.

617
00:31:43,403 --> 00:31:46,756
Anyway, the thing that I would say about this

618
00:31:46,757 --> 00:31:50,052
is it is a little bit like you are

619
00:31:50,053 --> 00:31:53,040
going to know if you walk into.

620
00:31:55,730 --> 00:31:57,838
If you walk into an experience and you don't

621
00:31:57,839 --> 00:32:00,648
feel like you are any more comfortable now than

622
00:32:00,649 --> 00:32:03,048
you were before, or if you walk into an

623
00:32:03,049 --> 00:32:06,076
experience and you feel like actually this feels not

624
00:32:06,077 --> 00:32:08,668
good, that's something just to listen to.

625
00:32:08,669 --> 00:32:11,036
This kind of work is the kind of work that

626
00:32:11,037 --> 00:32:16,892
fills people with connection and belonging and joy and hope.

627
00:32:16,893 --> 00:32:19,948
And I'm not saying that it isn't hard sometimes.

628
00:32:19,949 --> 00:32:21,808
In fact, it can be very hard.

629
00:32:21,809 --> 00:32:24,192
But if it doesn't have those elements to it, if

630
00:32:24,193 --> 00:32:27,872
you don't feel that, then that's something to listen to.

631
00:32:27,873 --> 00:32:28,896
Don't lose hope.

632
00:32:28,897 --> 00:32:30,788
There's probably another organization out there

633
00:32:30,789 --> 00:32:32,690
that you can collaborate with.

634
00:32:32,691 --> 00:32:35,690
(Duane) So a little bit of experimentation, experiment.

635
00:32:35,691 --> 00:32:37,250
Try something out.

636
00:32:37,251 --> 00:32:40,308
Reflect, engage in some reflection on it.

637
00:32:40,309 --> 00:32:43,812
And then if it does work, share with

638
00:32:43,813 --> 00:32:45,332
some of your friends, share it with others

639
00:32:45,333 --> 00:32:47,840
so that they can also benefit from that.

640
00:32:48,470 --> 00:32:50,760
(Nealin) That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

641
00:32:50,761 --> 00:32:53,272
In general, I would say that my experience has

642
00:32:53,273 --> 00:32:56,856
not been that there are bad organizations out there.

643
00:32:56,857 --> 00:32:58,860
It's actually been much more of a problem

644
00:32:58,861 --> 00:33:01,468
of people not knowing the organizations are out

645
00:33:01,469 --> 00:33:04,162
there not being connected to those organizations.

646
00:33:04,163 --> 00:33:07,746
So I can only say yes to sharing

647
00:33:07,747 --> 00:33:10,188
the information of the ones that work.

648
00:33:10,189 --> 00:33:12,592
That's actually a gift not only to you and your

649
00:33:12,593 --> 00:33:14,832
friends, but one of the things that our country is

650
00:33:14,833 --> 00:33:18,688
looking for is success stories, is stories of people who

651
00:33:18,689 --> 00:33:21,820
at the local level are doing this right.

652
00:33:22,930 --> 00:33:26,266
Please do share those experiences.

653
00:33:26,267 --> 00:33:28,948
Bring more people in and help them feel like they

654
00:33:28,949 --> 00:33:32,000
are connected to something bigger than that one experience.

655
00:33:41,430 --> 00:33:44,184
(Duane) Nealin, a big change that has been happening in the

656
00:33:44,185 --> 00:33:50,124
Baha'I community lately really has been much more focus in

657
00:33:50,125 --> 00:33:52,892
the challenge of our times, if you will, at the

658
00:33:52,893 --> 00:33:56,892
neighborhood level, where before we would be thinking much more

659
00:33:56,893 --> 00:33:59,136
at like a city level or a very large group.

660
00:33:59,137 --> 00:34:01,568
Now increasingly we're figuring out how

661
00:34:01,569 --> 00:34:03,942
to engage in dialogue with neighbors.

662
00:34:03,943 --> 00:34:06,214
We're working and collaborating

663
00:34:06,215 --> 00:34:07,808
at the neighborhood level.

664
00:34:07,809 --> 00:34:10,080
What do you think the benefits are

665
00:34:10,081 --> 00:34:12,804
of that kind of neighborhood focus?

666
00:34:12,805 --> 00:34:14,639
That neighborhood level of focus.

667
00:34:15,730 --> 00:34:19,108
(Nealin) I'm really excited to hear that.

668
00:34:19,109 --> 00:34:22,580
And there's been designated a

669
00:34:22,581 --> 00:34:24,510
national crisis of loneliness.

670
00:34:24,511 --> 00:34:31,190
And the change for people feeling belonging

671
00:34:31,191 --> 00:34:36,114
happens so often at the smallest levels.

672
00:34:36,115 --> 00:34:38,290
Family, friends, neighborhood.

673
00:34:38,291 --> 00:34:40,940
And feeling like there is community

674
00:34:40,941 --> 00:34:43,554
at that neighborhood level is doable.

675
00:34:43,555 --> 00:34:44,610
It's tangible.

676
00:34:44,611 --> 00:34:47,692
It's a place where you can make the difference

677
00:34:47,693 --> 00:34:50,719
and where you can actually see the difference.

678
00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:54,831
It's also a place that often doesn't have governance in

679
00:34:54,832 --> 00:34:58,496
place to try to fill that void, if you will,

680
00:34:58,497 --> 00:35:02,610
or provide some of those services or bring people together.

681
00:35:02,611 --> 00:35:05,460
And so it's a place that needs us.

682
00:35:05,461 --> 00:35:07,732
It needs individuals who are

683
00:35:07,733 --> 00:35:10,922
committed to building that connection.

684
00:35:10,923 --> 00:35:12,872
I think one of the things that I would

685
00:35:12,873 --> 00:35:16,168
say is also the case is that we need

686
00:35:16,169 --> 00:35:19,710
to think about what is the definition of neighborhood

687
00:35:19,711 --> 00:35:22,770
and how do we make sure that we aren't

688
00:35:23,350 --> 00:35:27,948
re upping divisions by focusing on a neighborhood as

689
00:35:27,949 --> 00:35:31,660
it exists right now, but instead thinking about calling

690
00:35:31,661 --> 00:35:37,554
people into neighborhoods and bringing diversity into those neighborhoods.

691
00:35:37,555 --> 00:35:40,992
And I really do mean diversity in as

692
00:35:40,993 --> 00:35:43,184
many ways as you can think of it.

693
00:35:43,185 --> 00:35:46,886
If there is a community, and quite frankly,

694
00:35:46,887 --> 00:35:50,016
in our country, there's the big sort, there

695
00:35:50,017 --> 00:35:54,218
is increasingly homogeneity in our communities.

696
00:35:54,219 --> 00:35:57,098
And people who have a bit of an echo

697
00:35:57,099 --> 00:36:00,708
chamber online, that's something that we talk about a

698
00:36:00,709 --> 00:36:03,224
lot, but they're having more and more of an

699
00:36:03,225 --> 00:36:05,256
echo chamber in their own community.

700
00:36:05,257 --> 00:36:08,008
So the work to me, at the community

701
00:36:08,009 --> 00:36:12,654
level, at the neighborhood level, is both intra

702
00:36:12,655 --> 00:36:16,796
neighborhood work and also inter neighborhood work, and

703
00:36:16,797 --> 00:36:20,348
making sure that we create physical spaces that

704
00:36:20,349 --> 00:36:24,172
naturally bring diversity to them.

705
00:36:24,173 --> 00:36:27,628
(Duane) That is such a great point, Nealin, and

706
00:36:27,629 --> 00:36:29,808
I hadn't really thought about it that way,

707
00:36:29,809 --> 00:36:32,176
but if you think about the way that

708
00:36:32,177 --> 00:36:36,670
often divisions are cultivated at that neighborhood level.

709
00:36:36,671 --> 00:36:39,168
When we're faced with that scenario, what is it

710
00:36:39,169 --> 00:36:41,796
that we can do to really kind of help

711
00:36:41,797 --> 00:36:45,562
provide a bridge to bring diversity into that neighborhood

712
00:36:45,563 --> 00:36:48,290
where it may not naturally exist that way?

713
00:36:48,291 --> 00:36:52,346
(Nealin) Some cases, I think there is a need to physically

714
00:36:52,347 --> 00:36:54,948
go to other places and make sure that you have

715
00:36:54,949 --> 00:36:57,752
a greater understanding of what it's like for somebody else,

716
00:36:57,753 --> 00:37:00,420
which is why I really love the american exchange program.

717
00:37:01,190 --> 00:37:04,664
But in other cases, diversity does exist in your

718
00:37:04,665 --> 00:37:09,308
community or very near your community, and so you

719
00:37:09,309 --> 00:37:12,156
can just define it in a slightly different way.

720
00:37:12,157 --> 00:37:14,892
It is the case in some places that there

721
00:37:14,893 --> 00:37:18,498
are entirely different communities on either side of railroad

722
00:37:18,499 --> 00:37:20,662
tracks or on either side of streets.

723
00:37:20,663 --> 00:37:23,472
But if you define your community as something that

724
00:37:23,473 --> 00:37:27,776
crosses those very minimal barriers, then you may find

725
00:37:27,777 --> 00:37:30,688
that you actually have a very diverse community.

726
00:37:30,689 --> 00:37:33,412
You may live in a community that has an

727
00:37:33,413 --> 00:37:36,372
elder care resource in the middle of it that

728
00:37:36,373 --> 00:37:40,420
nobody is really visiting or incorporating into the community.

729
00:37:40,421 --> 00:37:43,348
And so you would get a different sense of who your

730
00:37:43,349 --> 00:37:46,680
community was if you were bringing some of that in.

731
00:37:46,681 --> 00:37:48,248
As I said, some of it is

732
00:37:48,249 --> 00:37:50,520
about unearthing the diversity that you have.

733
00:37:50,521 --> 00:37:53,496
And other times, it is actually important

734
00:37:53,497 --> 00:37:56,156
to look beyond your immediate community.

735
00:37:56,157 --> 00:37:58,092
We live in a digital age, and it

736
00:37:58,093 --> 00:38:01,212
has a lot of downside, but it has

737
00:38:01,213 --> 00:38:05,450
an opportunity to reach beyond your physical space.

738
00:38:05,451 --> 00:38:08,252
That is something in many

739
00:38:08,253 --> 00:38:10,066
ways unique to our generation.

740
00:38:10,067 --> 00:38:13,382
Just like a quick trick on how do you find diversity

741
00:38:13,383 --> 00:38:16,080
in your community if you're in a place that has public

742
00:38:16,081 --> 00:38:20,144
transportation or it has public spaces where people come?

743
00:38:20,145 --> 00:38:22,692
I, for example, periodically take

744
00:38:22,693 --> 00:38:24,842
taxis and periodically take buses.

745
00:38:24,843 --> 00:38:27,636
And the conversations that I have on public

746
00:38:27,637 --> 00:38:32,340
transportation give me insight into what is happening

747
00:38:32,341 --> 00:38:34,776
in worlds that I would never otherwise see

748
00:38:34,777 --> 00:38:36,568
and are a real opportunity.

749
00:38:36,569 --> 00:38:40,536
So just putting yourself physically in spaces where

750
00:38:40,537 --> 00:38:43,928
other people may come can give you a

751
00:38:43,929 --> 00:38:46,340
different vision of what your community is.

752
00:38:55,590 --> 00:38:57,244
(Duane) So, Nealin, the Baha'I community, as

753
00:38:57,245 --> 00:38:58,764
you know, is a global community.

754
00:38:58,765 --> 00:39:00,146
Don't think just big cities.

755
00:39:00,147 --> 00:39:02,918
You know, visualize villages in the Democratic

756
00:39:02,919 --> 00:39:04,694
Republic of the Congo and the Highlands

757
00:39:04,695 --> 00:39:07,408
of Papua New Guinea, you know, literally all over

758
00:39:07,409 --> 00:39:10,070
the world, small communities, but everywhere.

759
00:39:10,071 --> 00:39:13,882
And recently, the Baha'I community adopted this goal

760
00:39:13,883 --> 00:39:18,266
of having a single priority for communities worldwide,

761
00:39:18,267 --> 00:39:21,492
which is this focus on society building, which

762
00:39:21,493 --> 00:39:23,742
will be the singular focus for Baha'I communities

763
00:39:23,743 --> 00:39:25,700
for the next 25 years.

764
00:39:26,230 --> 00:39:28,936
So Baha'I really want to learn a

765
00:39:28,937 --> 00:39:32,600
lot about how to engage in society building.

766
00:39:32,601 --> 00:39:34,664
So what suggestions would you have for

767
00:39:34,665 --> 00:39:37,500
the Baha'I community, given that new focus,

768
00:39:37,501 --> 00:39:38,920
if you will, for the community?

769
00:39:39,450 --> 00:39:44,028
(Nealin) This is amazingly good news for me, and

770
00:39:44,029 --> 00:39:49,376
I am just so excited to hear about

771
00:39:49,377 --> 00:39:53,472
that prioritization and also that framing for it.

772
00:39:53,473 --> 00:39:57,440
I so often hear this framed in a kind of

773
00:39:57,441 --> 00:40:03,562
negative valence of fear of like, we are falling apart

774
00:40:03,563 --> 00:40:06,116
and we need to do something about it.

775
00:40:06,117 --> 00:40:10,628
But the positive focus on who we are and who we

776
00:40:10,629 --> 00:40:15,246
want to become, that is in and of itself powerful.

777
00:40:15,247 --> 00:40:17,608
It sounds to, I just to hearken back

778
00:40:17,609 --> 00:40:20,846
to your earlier podcast with Peter Coleman.

779
00:40:20,847 --> 00:40:24,808
He is one of the people in

780
00:40:24,809 --> 00:40:27,948
our country doing academic research that I

781
00:40:27,949 --> 00:40:31,772
think really speaks to this positive focus.

782
00:40:31,773 --> 00:40:34,684
We're not trying to figure out how to avoid war.

783
00:40:34,685 --> 00:40:36,172
We're trying to figure out how

784
00:40:36,173 --> 00:40:38,550
to build a positive peace.

785
00:40:39,450 --> 00:40:41,148
And that focus on where do we

786
00:40:41,149 --> 00:40:42,662
want to get to actually matters.

787
00:40:42,663 --> 00:40:45,392
If you can see it, you can get there.

788
00:40:45,393 --> 00:40:48,592
And maybe conversely, if you can't see it, if

789
00:40:48,593 --> 00:40:50,208
all you can see is what you're trying to

790
00:40:50,209 --> 00:40:53,840
run away from, it's very hard to get there.

791
00:40:53,841 --> 00:40:55,268
And again, this sort of

792
00:40:55,269 --> 00:40:57,130
like, are we anti authoritarian?

793
00:40:57,131 --> 00:40:59,300
Are we anti civil? War?

794
00:40:59,301 --> 00:41:01,188
Is a lot of what you hear, and I know that

795
00:41:01,189 --> 00:41:05,998
you have a global listenership, but in the United States, that's

796
00:41:05,999 --> 00:41:08,632
a lot of where the focus is right now.

797
00:41:08,633 --> 00:41:13,590
And there is a lot of good information around that.

798
00:41:13,591 --> 00:41:16,876
I would like to throw out one piece

799
00:41:16,877 --> 00:41:20,770
which Search for Common Ground worked with organizations

800
00:41:20,771 --> 00:41:24,140
about, I don't know, five dozen organizations around

801
00:41:24,141 --> 00:41:26,364
the world trying to build.

802
00:41:26,365 --> 00:41:28,512
What are the pieces that we need to bring

803
00:41:28,513 --> 00:41:32,278
together for a country to be healthy and resilient,

804
00:41:32,279 --> 00:41:34,320
to sort of like, bring people together?

805
00:41:34,321 --> 00:41:37,280
And I earlier referenced this a little bit.

806
00:41:37,281 --> 00:41:39,290
It's the 'Peace Impact Framework'.

807
00:41:40,130 --> 00:41:42,068
And there are five things that they

808
00:41:42,069 --> 00:41:46,548
found that countries or communities that were

809
00:41:46,549 --> 00:41:50,388
strong and healthy and self sustaining had.

810
00:41:50,389 --> 00:41:52,728
And they looked at these five different things, and

811
00:41:52,729 --> 00:41:57,272
they found, like, for example, countries that did well

812
00:41:57,273 --> 00:42:01,694
through the last pandemic weren't the richest countries.

813
00:42:01,695 --> 00:42:06,110
They weren't the strongest countries militarily.

814
00:42:06,111 --> 00:42:07,944
They had something else.

815
00:42:07,945 --> 00:42:10,588
And the five things were they had low levels of

816
00:42:10,589 --> 00:42:14,306
violence, which you might think of as a little tautological,

817
00:42:14,307 --> 00:42:17,676
but don't for a second, because violence is a very

818
00:42:17,677 --> 00:42:22,144
complex thing, but it is a self perpetuating thing.

819
00:42:22,145 --> 00:42:24,768
So if you can reduce any kind of

820
00:42:24,769 --> 00:42:28,128
violence, then you help create the space for

821
00:42:28,129 --> 00:42:29,900
the other work that you have to do.

822
00:42:30,530 --> 00:42:33,588
The second is trust in each other.

823
00:42:33,589 --> 00:42:37,460
So we were talking about polarization, building

824
00:42:37,461 --> 00:42:40,986
that community, building, belonging, reducing polarization.

825
00:42:40,987 --> 00:42:42,938
And when I'm talking about polarization, I don't

826
00:42:42,939 --> 00:42:45,928
actually mean that we disagree on issues.

827
00:42:45,929 --> 00:42:47,112
That's always going to happen.

828
00:42:47,113 --> 00:42:48,888
And, in fact, that's really healthy, and

829
00:42:48,889 --> 00:42:50,424
you want that kind of disagreement to

830
00:42:50,425 --> 00:42:52,130
help you come to an understanding.

831
00:42:52,790 --> 00:42:58,780
But you need to have people see each other as human.

832
00:42:58,781 --> 00:43:00,946
And when you get to the point where you dehumanize

833
00:43:00,947 --> 00:43:03,800
each other, then you're out of a healthy space.

834
00:43:04,330 --> 00:43:07,506
Third is that people need to feel agency

835
00:43:07,507 --> 00:43:10,672
about solving problems that matter to them.

836
00:43:10,673 --> 00:43:17,920
So if you feel like you can do something about

837
00:43:17,921 --> 00:43:23,312
a waterline that's busted in your backyard or race relations

838
00:43:23,313 --> 00:43:26,922
in your country, both of those, if they are salient

839
00:43:26,923 --> 00:43:28,852
to you, if you can make a difference on them,

840
00:43:28,853 --> 00:43:32,644
and if you can have greater equality of opportunity that

841
00:43:32,645 --> 00:43:36,878
will help make a healthy and just society.

842
00:43:36,879 --> 00:43:40,328
The next one is connection to institutions and to

843
00:43:40,329 --> 00:43:45,406
feel like those institutions are trustworthy and effective.

844
00:43:45,407 --> 00:43:47,564
So in the United States, there are a

845
00:43:47,565 --> 00:43:50,732
lot of people who don't feel trust in

846
00:43:50,733 --> 00:43:52,994
our security sector, our police force.

847
00:43:52,995 --> 00:43:54,914
They don't feel trust in our elections,

848
00:43:54,915 --> 00:43:57,148
they don't feel trust in our government.

849
00:43:57,149 --> 00:44:00,060
And not having trust in any of those things actually

850
00:44:00,061 --> 00:44:04,192
makes people want to take on those functions themselves, but

851
00:44:04,193 --> 00:44:06,342
in a way that doesn't have the checks and balances

852
00:44:06,343 --> 00:44:08,752
that you want to see in a country.

853
00:44:08,753 --> 00:44:13,380
So working on educating people about local government

854
00:44:13,381 --> 00:44:16,788
resources or about what is fair and not

855
00:44:16,789 --> 00:44:19,578
fair in an election, those are our contributions.

856
00:44:19,579 --> 00:44:21,988
And finally, the last one is a little

857
00:44:21,989 --> 00:44:23,864
bit harder to conceive of, but it's the

858
00:44:23,865 --> 00:44:26,158
way that money flows in a society.

859
00:44:26,159 --> 00:44:29,176
So the explanation that I often give about the United

860
00:44:29,177 --> 00:44:34,270
States is think how much money is going into campaigns

861
00:44:34,271 --> 00:44:37,060
that remind us of all that we don't share.

862
00:44:37,990 --> 00:44:43,052
So, political campaigns that tell us why we shouldn't like

863
00:44:43,053 --> 00:44:47,100
each other, why it's an existential important issue to not

864
00:44:47,101 --> 00:44:50,326
be like this other part in the United States versus

865
00:44:50,327 --> 00:44:54,960
how much money is going into this to remind us.

866
00:44:54,961 --> 00:44:57,792
And everybody in the United States can

867
00:44:57,793 --> 00:44:59,600
easily say, oh, not the same amount.

868
00:44:59,601 --> 00:45:01,152
There are many more resources going into

869
00:45:01,153 --> 00:45:02,752
dividing us than bringing us together.

870
00:45:02,753 --> 00:45:05,188
So if you can start to shift the

871
00:45:05,189 --> 00:45:07,668
way that money flows, then you have a

872
00:45:07,669 --> 00:45:10,724
sustainable way of bringing a country together.

873
00:45:10,725 --> 00:45:12,666
So that's called the peace impact framework.

874
00:45:12,667 --> 00:45:16,228
And it's been a way that's been really helpful to me

875
00:45:16,229 --> 00:45:19,656
in trying to think about what are the different kinds of

876
00:45:19,657 --> 00:45:23,160
work that we need to do to bring a country together

877
00:45:23,161 --> 00:45:25,352
that's kind of like the big picture level.

878
00:45:25,353 --> 00:45:26,684
It sounds like Peter talked a

879
00:45:26,685 --> 00:45:28,578
little bit about contact theory.

880
00:45:28,579 --> 00:45:31,740
Contact theory is at this really micro level where

881
00:45:31,741 --> 00:45:35,260
you have got to connect to somebody across difference.

882
00:45:35,261 --> 00:45:37,080
That can be your starting point.

883
00:45:37,630 --> 00:45:41,366
We're going to be healthier and stronger as a society.

884
00:45:41,367 --> 00:45:45,904
If we figure out natural ways to bring difference together

885
00:45:45,905 --> 00:45:49,968
in a collaborative way, where that difference is part of

886
00:45:49,969 --> 00:45:53,700
what success looks like, I don't think that we want

887
00:45:53,701 --> 00:45:56,190
a world where we don't have that variety.

888
00:45:57,250 --> 00:46:00,106
Maybe some people do, but I don't.

889
00:46:00,107 --> 00:46:01,908
And I actually don't think that any of us

890
00:46:01,909 --> 00:46:04,964
are seeking a kind of monolithic world out there.

891
00:46:04,965 --> 00:46:06,714
So then we have to accept

892
00:46:06,715 --> 00:46:08,488
that there's going to be difference.

893
00:46:08,489 --> 00:46:10,312
And what we want is to have that

894
00:46:10,313 --> 00:46:12,446
difference, be able to live in harmony.

895
00:46:12,447 --> 00:46:15,480
And again, as I said, I feel like my experience

896
00:46:15,481 --> 00:46:19,052
with the Baha'I community, and also the interfaith community more

897
00:46:19,053 --> 00:46:22,764
generally, is that there is a real understanding of that

898
00:46:22,765 --> 00:46:27,052
and a profound set of internal beliefs that allow you

899
00:46:27,053 --> 00:46:30,990
to naturally create that in your community.

900
00:46:30,991 --> 00:46:35,398
So at the micro level, understanding more about contact theory

901
00:46:35,399 --> 00:46:38,048
and more about what it can do and also some

902
00:46:38,049 --> 00:46:41,252
of its limitations, as I said, it's not enough just

903
00:46:41,253 --> 00:46:44,212
to come in contact with somebody else.

904
00:46:44,213 --> 00:46:48,132
The thing that I often really, really encourage is

905
00:46:48,133 --> 00:46:51,412
that second piece where you have collaborative action and

906
00:46:51,413 --> 00:46:54,068
where it's not just we should talk to each

907
00:46:54,069 --> 00:46:56,584
other across difference, because I think that's morally good.

908
00:46:56,585 --> 00:46:58,104
It's that when we talk to each

909
00:46:58,105 --> 00:47:00,168
other across difference and come together to

910
00:47:00,169 --> 00:47:03,678
make change, it's actually more successful.

911
00:47:03,679 --> 00:47:06,232
And there is a way, like in

912
00:47:06,233 --> 00:47:08,252
the measuring of what success looks like.

913
00:47:08,253 --> 00:47:12,236
It's not just, oh, Bob and Sally talked

914
00:47:12,237 --> 00:47:15,106
to each other and they had skills.

915
00:47:15,107 --> 00:47:17,500
They've learned skills about how to talk to each other.

916
00:47:17,501 --> 00:47:18,370
Yay.

917
00:47:18,371 --> 00:47:19,788
There's a whole group of people that

918
00:47:19,789 --> 00:47:21,068
are going to think, that's awesome.

919
00:47:21,069 --> 00:47:23,008
There's a whole group of people that are

920
00:47:23,009 --> 00:47:25,456
going to say, I actually don't really care

921
00:47:25,457 --> 00:47:27,968
if Bob and Sally talk to each other.

922
00:47:27,969 --> 00:47:30,826
I have this other problem that I want to get solved.

923
00:47:30,827 --> 00:47:34,276
I have racial issues that I care about.

924
00:47:34,277 --> 00:47:38,084
I care about climate, I care about whether

925
00:47:38,085 --> 00:47:41,236
our village is connected to the market.

926
00:47:41,237 --> 00:47:43,156
I care about all of these things.

927
00:47:43,157 --> 00:47:46,132
But in each of those circumstances, you

928
00:47:46,133 --> 00:47:48,440
can usually find where talking across difference

929
00:47:48,441 --> 00:47:50,392
is going to make that work better.

930
00:47:50,393 --> 00:47:52,968
You want your village to be connected to the market.

931
00:47:52,969 --> 00:47:54,088
You've got to go down the

932
00:47:54,089 --> 00:47:55,822
road that crosses another village.

933
00:47:55,823 --> 00:47:57,112
And if you don't know how to talk

934
00:47:57,113 --> 00:47:59,132
to that other village, it's going to be

935
00:47:59,133 --> 00:48:01,708
really hard to get your resources to market.

936
00:48:01,709 --> 00:48:03,682
That's one example that is played

937
00:48:03,683 --> 00:48:05,372
over and over and over again.

938
00:48:05,373 --> 00:48:08,176
We exist in a world with each other.

939
00:48:08,177 --> 00:48:09,648
We need to figure out how

940
00:48:09,649 --> 00:48:12,220
to work out those differences together.

941
00:48:21,070 --> 00:48:24,352
(Duane) So, Nealin, if you were in a community and

942
00:48:24,353 --> 00:48:26,116
you were trying to figure out what to do,

943
00:48:26,117 --> 00:48:28,868
how to engage with and how to collaborate with

944
00:48:28,869 --> 00:48:30,948
other people, like minded people like you.

945
00:48:30,949 --> 00:48:32,480
How would you go about doing it?

946
00:48:33,010 --> 00:48:34,788
(Nealin) I would start by listening to your

947
00:48:34,789 --> 00:48:39,350
podcast, and then that's good advice.

948
00:48:39,351 --> 00:48:41,518
I mean, it was a joke, but it wasn't totally a joke.

949
00:48:41,519 --> 00:48:44,472
So the first thing that I would do is that

950
00:48:44,473 --> 00:48:47,452
I would do some asking around in the community, and

951
00:48:47,453 --> 00:48:53,484
I would ask people who are your connectors, who has,

952
00:48:53,485 --> 00:48:56,306
in a sense, who has authority, who has constituency?

953
00:48:56,307 --> 00:48:57,756
Those are kind of big words, but it's basically

954
00:48:57,757 --> 00:49:02,192
like, who's somebody who gets things done and who

955
00:49:02,193 --> 00:49:04,656
are people who help bring people together?

956
00:49:04,657 --> 00:49:06,688
And I would ask that about individuals, and

957
00:49:06,689 --> 00:49:09,072
I would also ask that about organizations, because

958
00:49:09,073 --> 00:49:10,724
you could find out things like, you know,

959
00:49:10,725 --> 00:49:13,250
what really brings people together in this community?

960
00:49:13,251 --> 00:49:14,690
Football.

961
00:49:14,691 --> 00:49:19,556
And often it's things like music and sports and food

962
00:49:19,557 --> 00:49:23,752
and fun that are the things that unify a community.

963
00:49:23,753 --> 00:49:27,832
So there's already work happening, and I would want

964
00:49:27,833 --> 00:49:30,920
to make sure that my first steps were working

965
00:49:30,921 --> 00:49:34,616
on supporting the things that already existed and not

966
00:49:34,617 --> 00:49:37,350
replicating the things that already existed.

967
00:49:38,330 --> 00:49:41,980
And then from there, I would talk to those people

968
00:49:41,981 --> 00:49:44,460
who bring people together and find out what is it

969
00:49:44,461 --> 00:49:48,252
that you find works and what doesn't work, and what

970
00:49:48,253 --> 00:49:51,058
do you need to be even more successful.

971
00:49:51,059 --> 00:49:55,456
And I would at the same know I'm me.

972
00:49:55,457 --> 00:49:57,504
So I've been doing this work for a while, but there

973
00:49:57,505 --> 00:49:59,696
was a reason that when I started working in the United

974
00:49:59,697 --> 00:50:02,512
States, the first thing I did was to map out what

975
00:50:02,513 --> 00:50:05,940
everybody else was doing and to try to talk to them

976
00:50:05,941 --> 00:50:08,452
about what was working and what did they need to do.

977
00:50:08,453 --> 00:50:09,300
So I did that.

978
00:50:09,301 --> 00:50:10,916
I tried to do it on a national level.

979
00:50:10,917 --> 00:50:13,572
I would do the same thing in any community,

980
00:50:13,573 --> 00:50:16,712
anywhere in the country or anywhere in the world.

981
00:50:16,713 --> 00:50:20,168
But then I would also take the knowledge that I

982
00:50:20,169 --> 00:50:23,848
had from having done this and try to connect.

983
00:50:23,849 --> 00:50:27,832
So, okay, you're saying it works really, really well

984
00:50:27,833 --> 00:50:31,064
to bring people together over food, but maybe the

985
00:50:31,065 --> 00:50:33,212
person who's bringing people together is like, yeah, but

986
00:50:33,213 --> 00:50:35,212
sometimes we don't know what we want to talk.

987
00:50:35,213 --> 00:50:36,108
I don't know how to sort

988
00:50:36,109 --> 00:50:38,130
of broach some of these conversations.

989
00:50:38,131 --> 00:50:41,072
Well, there are organizations out there

990
00:50:41,073 --> 00:50:42,918
that have lots of resources.

991
00:50:42,919 --> 00:50:44,192
I mentioned before, Living Room

992
00:50:44,193 --> 00:50:46,566
Conversations that have online resources.

993
00:50:46,567 --> 00:50:48,614
And if that's the problem, then you've

994
00:50:48,615 --> 00:50:50,448
got something that you can share there.

995
00:50:50,449 --> 00:50:54,624
If there are problems, like, well, I've got

996
00:50:54,625 --> 00:50:56,148
people who are interested, but I don't feel

997
00:50:56,149 --> 00:50:58,442
like they're ready to get into a conversation,

998
00:50:58,443 --> 00:51:00,084
but they want to learn something.

999
00:51:00,085 --> 00:51:02,468
There are groups like all sides or the

1000
00:51:02,469 --> 00:51:05,428
flip side that actually can email you information.

1001
00:51:05,429 --> 00:51:07,176
You can say, here's how I see things.

1002
00:51:07,177 --> 00:51:09,512
And they will email you stories that are

1003
00:51:09,513 --> 00:51:11,992
really well thought out, the best case view

1004
00:51:11,993 --> 00:51:14,110
of that story to your inbox.

1005
00:51:14,111 --> 00:51:16,632
So again, who knows what the problem is?

1006
00:51:16,633 --> 00:51:19,290
The people there will tell you what they are.

1007
00:51:19,291 --> 00:51:20,764
And from there you can kind

1008
00:51:20,765 --> 00:51:22,722
of connect to these other resources.

1009
00:51:22,723 --> 00:51:24,818
Or you can say, actually, the problem isn't

1010
00:51:24,819 --> 00:51:27,708
these other resources, it's that there isn't a

1011
00:51:27,709 --> 00:51:29,772
public transportation system to get them there.

1012
00:51:29,773 --> 00:51:31,488
And then that gives you an opportunity

1013
00:51:31,489 --> 00:51:33,472
to say, well, what if we work

1014
00:51:33,473 --> 00:51:36,624
across difference to solve that problem together?

1015
00:51:36,625 --> 00:51:38,430
That's where I would start.

1016
00:51:38,431 --> 00:51:41,536
(Duane) Nealin, this has been so much fun and you've done

1017
00:51:41,537 --> 00:51:45,684
such a great job in persuading us that there really

1018
00:51:45,685 --> 00:51:48,836
are other people out there that we can collaborate with.

1019
00:51:48,837 --> 00:51:51,108
And hopefully what the audience will take away from

1020
00:51:51,109 --> 00:51:54,634
this is that desire to find some other organization

1021
00:51:54,635 --> 00:51:57,806
that they can collaborate with and learn from, reflect

1022
00:51:57,807 --> 00:52:00,808
on, experiment with, and then share with others what

1023
00:52:00,809 --> 00:52:03,358
their experience is like so that we can gain

1024
00:52:03,359 --> 00:52:06,648
momentum in this business of collaboration around finding like-

1025
00:52:06,649 --> 00:52:09,032
minded people to pursue these tasks with.

1026
00:52:09,033 --> 00:52:11,388
(Nealin) I feel confident that we can and I'm so

1027
00:52:11,389 --> 00:52:13,564
grateful to be here with you and all of

1028
00:52:13,565 --> 00:52:16,250
your efforts to make that more likely.

1029
00:52:16,251 --> 00:52:19,530
(Duane) Thank you so much for joining us on Society Builders.

1030
00:52:19,531 --> 00:52:20,864
That's it for today.

1031
00:52:20,865 --> 00:52:23,056
Now in our next episode, we're going to look

1032
00:52:23,057 --> 00:52:26,192
back at all the guidance we've been receiving from

1033
00:52:26,193 --> 00:52:29,910
the world's leading luminaries in the science of depolarization.

1034
00:52:29,911 --> 00:52:31,248
And we're going to try to bring

1035
00:52:31,249 --> 00:52:33,652
some synthesis to what we've learned and

1036
00:52:33,653 --> 00:52:36,186
how this relates to our Baha'i principles.

1037
00:52:36,187 --> 00:52:39,348
Wow, that's going to be a real challenge, right?

1038
00:52:39,349 --> 00:52:42,240
I mean, we've been learning so much.

1039
00:52:42,790 --> 00:52:46,070
So make sure you don't miss that episode.

1040
00:52:46,071 --> 00:52:50,210
That's next time on Society Builders.

1041
00:52:51,910 --> 00:52:54,888
(Music) Society Builders pave the way, to a

1042
00:52:54,889 --> 00:52:57,068
better world, to a better day.

1043
00:52:57,069 --> 00:53:01,270
A united approach to building a new society.

1044
00:53:01,930 --> 00:53:04,466
There's a crisis facing humanity.

1045
00:53:04,467 --> 00:53:07,122
People suffer from a lack of unity.

1046
00:53:07,123 --> 00:53:11,290
It's time for a better path to a new society.

1047
00:53:12,030 --> 00:53:18,730
Join the conversation for social transformation. Society Builders

1048
00:53:22,610 --> 00:53:32,958
Join the conversation for Social Transformation. Society Builders.

1049
00:53:32,959 --> 00:53:35,752
So engage with your local communities and explore all the

1050
00:53:35,753 --> 00:53:40,734
exciting possibilities. We can elevate the atmosphere

1051
00:53:40,735 --> 00:53:42,392
in which we move.

1052
00:53:42,393 --> 00:53:44,990
The paradigm is shifting.

1053
00:53:44,991 --> 00:53:47,362
It's so very uplifting.

1054
00:53:47,363 --> 00:53:52,546
It's a new beat, a new song, a brand new groove.

1055
00:53:52,547 --> 00:54:05,600
Join the Conversation for Social Transformation. Society Builders. Join the Conversation for Social

1056
00:54:05,601 --> 00:54:14,676
Transformation. Society Builders. The Baha'i Faith has a lot

1057
00:54:14,677 --> 00:54:18,196
to say helping people discover a better way with

1058
00:54:18,197 --> 00:54:23,268
discourse and social action framed by unity. Now the

1059
00:54:23,269 --> 00:54:25,892
time has come to lift our game and apply

1060
00:54:25,893 --> 00:54:27,940
the teachings of the Greatest Name.

1061
00:54:27,941 --> 00:54:32,850
And rise to meet the glory of our destiny.

1062
00:54:32,851 --> 00:54:38,354
Join the conversation for social transformation. Society

1063
00:54:38,355 --> 00:54:49,170
Builders. Join the conversation for social transformation. Society Builders.