By Kerri Miller, MPR News
Are you wringing your hands over the political polarization we’re experiencing in this country? Are you egging it on among your kindred spirits?
Family therapist Bill Doherty has been on MPR News with Kerri Miller before to talk about his work with Braver Angels, but most of those conversations have been focused on de-polarizing encounters and interactions with your political opposites.
He spoke with Miller about depolarizing within your own political circles.
Twenty-three leaders who disagree on many things said yes to the same thing this month. They agreed to stand together, publicly, behind the idea that Americans can hold fast to their convictions while staying genuinely curious about the convictions of people on the other side. That’s it. That’s the commitment. For more than nine years, Braver Angels has reached people in every state in the union. The ones who’ve engaged have experienced something that surprises them every time: the relief of disagreeing without contempt, and the discovery that the person across the table is not who the feed said they were.
Braver Angels is powered by volunteers: everyday people who believe they have a role in bringing out the best in our country. And seeing our volunteers in action—giving their time and energy to bring together individuals who never dreamed they’d be in a room together—has buoyed me through all the political uncertainty.
As a member of Braver Angels , I appreciate a good, fair debate. Bill Branyon won that one, Carl. Better luck next time. — Fred Racey Asheville. 13 …
