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“Adults keep saying, ‘We owe it to young people to give them hope.’ But I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day, and then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.” - Greta Thunberg https://real-leaders.com/greta-thunberg-i-dont-want-your-hope/

“To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things you are against, or one might believe that you support things you really do not.” ― Germany Kent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_Kent

“I am not anxious to be the loudest voice or the most popular. But I would like to think that at a crucial moment, I was an effective voice of the voiceless, an effective hope of the hopeless.” ― Whitney M. Young Jr. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Young

Speaking truth to power is essential, but also a very complex matter. I’ll suggest we make this our topic for the dialogue this Wednesday May 11. At the event, I will have a set of questions designed to tap into your experience with and ideas for speaking truth to power.

Here is a TEDx talk by Erika Cheung, who has had personal experience with speaking truth to power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb7Wb0KzMf4

In other words, even in “democratic societies,” where we imagine we are protected by basic human rights, there will be a price to pay for speaking truth to power. Think of the price paid by civil rights activists in the mid-twentieth century, such as Martin Luther King, Jr.; or more recently the case of Julian Assange https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange

Depending on context, speaking truth to power might use this advice from Simon Sinek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MCPLor4CvM In another context, it may be more effective not to speak directly to power, but to do something that changes the game.

When speaking truth to power, I think it is essential to keep in mind the basic concept that the map is not the territory. “The truth” that each of us can contribute is likely to be useful to the extent that we understand we have only one part of “the truth” to contribute, a map that we have developed to serve a purpose we have in mind. If we have developed the map carefully, we will have paid attention to factual details. Remember the basic concepts of dialogue (not debate) as developed by David Bohm; and the importance of civility as emphasized by Mike Lake.

It may also be useful to remember that quote from Walt Kelly’s Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Just as each of us can be part of the solution, each of us is also part of the problem. Therefore, when speaking truth to power, keep in mind the “relentless we.” Refer to the powerful person to whom you are speaking as one with yourself. For example, “I think that we must try to improve the chances that our grandchildren will thrive, while there is still time for us to be effective in that effort. What do you think?”

As a resource for our dialogue, I have appended below this message that bullet point summary from the book I’m Right and You’re an idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up.

Here is the link Shinobu has provided for May 11:

Topic: Humainologie Dialogue Session Time: May 11, 2022 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Every week on Wed, until Jun 2022 May 11, 2022 06:30 PM Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86356492764?pwd=bCtWeDdGUExOdUVIQUt2eUdqbWVZZz09 Meeting ID: 863 5649 2764 Passcode: 12345

Arthur

From the synopsis (previously circulated) of the book I’m Right and You’re an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up:

· “Toxic conversations stall our ability to think collectively and solve the many dangerous problems that are stalking everyone on earth.”

· “[There are] clear differences between dialogue and debate: in debate we assume we have the right answer, whereas dialogue assumes we all have pieces of the answer and can craft a solution together.”

· “…by working to create a climate of trust, a community of discourse, we build up capital that we can use to deal with tricky issues in the future.”

· “People need to feel respected and supported, not criticized.”

· “Self-righteousness is a barrier to self-change, and an impediment to persuading others.” Being passionate about specific issues is important but hold your opinions lightly and be ready to change your views.

· Hoggan emphasizes two key strategies he had learned: 1) Don’t get into fights; or as George Bernard Shaw had said, “I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” 2) Do not be silent. Tell your own story, otherwise you lose by default.

· Adam Kahane has helped transcend barriers as severe as apartheid in South Africa, by bringing adversaries into a discussion of possibilities. He does not try to convince people to do anything they don’t want to do. “’They don’t need to agree on the solution or the problem. They don’t need to understand each other, trust each other or even like each other.’ But they do have to recognize that the only way to move forward is together.”

· “One defeats the fanatic precisely by not being a fanatic oneself”

· Deep listening and respect for the adversary are both essential.

· We can learn from the success of the civil rights movement: Never give up. All our progress notwithstanding, to this day there has been no “ultimate victory” and there is still a lot of work to do. There will always be those who intentionally pollute public discourse. But the majority are waiting for us to clean it up. We must persist.