September 13, 2024
My mom and one of her dearest, life-long, friends have not always shared the same political views. For most of their friendship that was not an issue, but over the last few election cycles, "political differences" have felt more like canyons: nearly impossible to meet in the middle. "Agreeing to disagree" doesn't feel genuine when they both believe there is so much at risk, and it's put a strain on their connection.
Determined to save their friendship, my mom and her friend recently decided they would sit down together, with the purpose of listening to one another. Ahead of their sit-down, they'll each share with the other their top concern about the other's chosen candidate, and their top election issues. They'll then listen to what the other has to say for a set amount of time, without defending their own position. Their goal is not to change one another's mind, but to understand one another better.
I will admit, my dad and siblings are all a bit nervous about how this is all going to go, but apparently my mom and her friend are onto something. Earlier this week, Dianne Del Giorno shared with me an MPR story featuring a program sponsored by Braver Angels called Walk a Mile in My News, which is aimed at people interested in better understanding other people’s political perspectives. MPR states:
What ‘Walk a Mile in My News’ is: This project aims to help Minnesotans build more positive relationships with people of differing political views.
Who it’s for: People who are interested in understanding other people’s perspectives better by looking at the media sources that inform their views. Basically, people who want to help tone down the vitriol of political disagreements and try to have hard political conversations, better.
Intrigued? Maybe you have a friend, or family member, or neighbor in the same position as my mom and her friend. Maybe you're willing to go there with them. It's not about giving up your deeply held beliefs in any way, it's just about understanding one another better.
In this week's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, "...those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." I don't think Jesus was talking about our losing our physical lives, but he was saying that for the sake of the Gospel - for Love. Compassion. Community. Connection. Hope. Joy - there will be things we must be willing to lose. I imagine shutting ourselves off to caring about why others think they way they do is one of those things we're called to lose. Sigh. I know Jesus says flat out it ain't gonna be easy, but boy, oh boy, is it hard.
My prayer this week is that we each find ways to rise to the challenges of the Gospel, even in these challenging times.