Democracy

“Speaking together differently so that we might learn to live together differently” is what The On Being Project’s Civil Conversations Project (CCP) seeks to model during this time of deep polarization in public life. We recently caught up with CCP executive director, Lucas Johnson, for a conversation about the CCP and a preview of one community’s “A Year of Courageous Conversations.” 

As part of our efforts to engage all segments of American society, the Fetzer Institute collaborated with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, to understand the current state of democracy from a Christian evangelical perspective.

Perhaps the foremost value that Americans cite as central to democracy is equality—that we’re all created equal. Americans also value placing the good of the country and its collective citizenry above individual interests. A third core value of American democracy is expressed by the national motto E Pluribus Unum, “Out of many—one.” This motto was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1782 and started appearing on coins in 1786. In its most literal sense, the motto means that a single nation emerged from the union of the thirteen colonies.

Participation in the [We the] People Book Club has challenged me to face some of my own biases and pre-conceived ideas. I am grateful for the opportunity to explore and consider different viewpoints.
—We the People Book Club participant

The freedoms and rights stipulated in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution necessitate that we listen to points of view that differ from ours. In The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction, Rebecca Shafir offers practices for opening to others with whom we may differ:

Democracy requires that we listen to others sincerely, even when there is disagreement. But how does this work online? When you consider the person on the other end of the comment or video, what would it mean to listen with the intent to draw out their true essence or identify their good intentions, instead of listening with the intent to debate or argue with them? So often people want to prove their point or listen only until they get a chance to say their piece.