Listen To People You Lot Don’T Like!
Friday, November 7, 2003
In looking dorsum to my Harvard days (in the 1950s), I call upwards how a powerful sense of technological hope was inwards the air — a organized faith that human excogitation would proceed its ever-accelerating conquest of fourth dimension in addition to space. I call upwards too, how this confidence was accompanied past times what was described every bit a “revolution of rising expectations” in addition to the autumn of colonial empires. And of course, this tendency seemed to culminate or in addition to thence years subsequently alongside the halt of the Cold War in addition to the “new earth order” that it promised.
But fifty-fifty every bit old barriers crumbled in addition to novel connections expanded, a paradoxical tendency laid upwards in, 1 that nosotros see today at every hand. At the same fourth dimension that the earth was becoming to a greater extent than interconnected, it also exceed to a greater extent than fragmented.
We direct maintain been mesmerised on 1 manus past times the explosive footstep of what nosotros telephone shout out upwards “globalisation,” a centripetal strength putting us every bit closely inwards behavior upon alongside people who alive across the earth every bit nosotros are to those who alive adjacent to us. But at the same time, a laid upwards of centrifugal forces direct maintain been gaining on us, producing a growing sense — betwixt in addition to inside societies — of disintegration.
Whether nosotros are looking at a to a greater extent than frail European Union, a to a greater extent than polarised United States, a to a greater extent than fervid Sunni-Shia conflict, intensified tribal rivalries inwards much of Africa in addition to Asia, or other splintering threats inwards every corner of the planet, the give-and-take “fragmentation” seems to define our times.
Global promise, it tin hold upwards said, has been matched past times tribal wariness. We direct maintain to a greater extent than communication, simply nosotros also direct maintain to a greater extent than confrontation. Even every bit nosotros exclaim most growing connectivity nosotros seem to sense greater disconnection.
Perhaps what nosotros did non see in addition to thence clearly lx years agone is the fact that technological advance does non necessarily hateful human progress. Sometimes it tin hateful the reverse.
The to a greater extent than nosotros communicate, the harder it tin sometimes hold upwards to evaluate what nosotros are saying. More data oft way less context in addition to to a greater extent than confusion. More than that, the increased footstep of human interaction way that nosotros run across the stranger to a greater extent than often, in addition to to a greater extent than directly. What is unlike is no longer abstract in addition to distant. Even for the most tolerant amid us, difference, to a greater extent than in addition to more, tin hold upwards up unopen in addition to inwards your face.
What all of this way is that the challenge of living good together — a challenge every bit old every bit the human-race — tin seem to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than complicated. And in addition to thence nosotros enquire ourselves, what are the resources that nosotros powerfulness at nowadays pull upon to counter this trend? How tin nosotros exceed beyond our bold words in addition to address the mystery of why our ideals however elude us?
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A pluralist, cosmopolitan lodge is a lodge which non alone accepts difference, simply actively seeks to empathize it in addition to to acquire from it. In this perspective, multifariousness is non a burden to hold upwards endured, simply an chance to hold upwards welcomed.
A cosmopolitan lodge regards the distinctive threads of our item identities every bit elements that pick out beauty to the larger social fabric. A cosmopolitan ethic accepts our ultimate moral responsibleness to the whole of humanity, rather than absolutising a presumably especial part.
Perhaps it is a natural status of an insecure human race to essay safety inwards a sense of superiority. But inwards a earth where cultures increasingly interpenetrate 1 another, a to a greater extent than confident in addition to a to a greater extent than generous outlook is needed.
What this means, possibly inwards a higher house all else, is a readiness to participate inwards a truthful dialog alongside diversity, non alone inwards our personal relationships, simply inwards institutional in addition to international relationships also. But that takes work, in addition to it takes patience. Above all, it implies a readiness to listen.
What is needed, every bit the quondam Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson has said, in addition to I quote, is a readiness “to heed to your neighbour, fifty-fifty when you lot may non specially similar him.” Is that message clear? You heed to people you lot don’t like!