A Thoughtful Crowd Talks About the Community
A comfortably full crowd gathered in the Peck Center auditorium to listen, talk and learn together about the issues involving the connection between church and state on Wednesday evening August 7. Outer bands of Tropical Storm Debby brought another round of wind and rain just as the program began. Thunder and pounding rain echoed off the building’s roof. What was happening outside didn’t deter the interest and attention paid to the speakers and the commenters. We did have to turn up the volume!
There will be a video recording, which is in the process of being edited. I won’t belabor you with the details of what the panelists and commenters had to say. Rather, I will share my impressions and takeaways.
It was confirmed that we have an abundance of informed and thoughtful people on this island who care about their community, including all of its citizens and its natural resources.
Residents want to be heard! They want to talk and they want to listen. They want input on important issues before decisions are made. The current city commission vetoed an option for this to happen more effectively. The idea for a monthly discussion session was presented and many residents, including me, spoke in favor of this idea. They defeated a valuable opportunity by a 3-2 vote and further tarnished their reputations in the process.
People are tired of fear being stoked from the far right and from the far left. The people in the vast middle do not live in fear of World War III and of their children being “turned into” transgendered individuals. Nor does this group want to scream about every cause celebre. They respect that others have different points of view. They do not want others dictating what they think, read or believe or what their children are taught in school. They want to worship as they choose, where they choose, or not at all.
Any religion’s sacred texts and our country’s founding documents are living, breathing entities to be held in tension, not merged together. They can inform each other without losing integrity. They were not meant to be carved in stone and viewed one way forever. Merging them squeezes the life out of them both.
Remember that “the government” is you! If you have complaints, it’s time to engage. Complaining to complain doesn’t help or change anything. It feeds a negative narrative. It is up to each of us to do the work of being informed, going to meetings, speaking to issues of concern and voting in all elections.
Listening to divergent views takes time, patience and hard work. With the decline of institutions that provide social glue, the rise of social media as a means of communication and the isolation of the pandemic, we are out of practice in this communication skill. We are up against an old adage to refrain from discussing politics or religion, especially around the dinner table. By nature or nurture, many would rather avoid conflict than engage with it. It is very hard to simply listen without spending that time formulating a reply or retort. Initiating conversation that may turn difficult takes gumption and a willingness to hear where the other person is coming from. Asking questions rather than giving opinions or advice is a good way to elicit another’s point of view. We need to help each other learn to get better at having difficult conversations while keeping mutual respect in the mix.
The panel planning group is being asked, “What next?” We are actively thinking about that.
Respondents want gatherings with well-articulated goals and action items.
Personally, I would like to ban cliches like “preaching to the choir” and “echo chamber.” They stereotype the learning we can gain from knowing we are not alone in our views.
Our community will be stronger and healthier as we engage in respectful dialogue inside and outside our own circles.
