Saturday, Feb. 22, 10:30 a.m. to noon, in the Winterset Public Library meeting room, members of Braver Angels South Central Iowa Alliance invite you to listen to and learn from persons whose perspective differs from your own. Our topic is “Trump’s First 30 Days”. Options: come in person or remotely, via zoom. Come as an observer or a participant.
Since 2016 Braver Angels has offered settings where persons across the political spectrum are having conversations of respect and trust. How else can we turn down the fear and animosity in today’s fast-paced, polarized political environment?
This happened on Jan. 30 in the Washington DC Braver Angels Alliance debate, ‘RESOLVED: We need the Dept. of Government Efficiency’. Afterwards one participant declared, “I thought I’d hate that guy based on his opinions, but what increased my estimation of him was the way he responded to other people’s questions.”
Another said, “In that room I found honest concern, good faith and goodwill on both sides [Reds and Blues]. Courage and curiosity. Intellectual honesty and human compassion.” Of course, not all the feelings in the room were warm and fuzzy. Even the heavier ones were not threats, however—not to our relationships and not to our civilization.
The goal in Braver Angels gatherings is not to agree on the facts or their interpretation. It’s to get to know the people who hold these opinions and to learn what they value and why. That turns down fear and animosity. When we come together with a commitment to listen, using the Braver Angels model, we see a different side of our fellow humans, which is so needed in today’s world. Come to the Winterset Public Library or join via zoom, 10:30-noon on Saturday, Feb. 22, to observe or participate in a Braver Angels experience.
For more information or to register for the Feb. 22 gathering, email Anne Murr, amurr@braverangels.org, Clarke Co., Blue Co-Chair or Richard Tucker, rtucker@braverangels.org, Madison Co., Red Co-Chair.