“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen,” says the apostle Paul of the New Testament.
I can say that my journey of finding and becoming a volunteer leader in the bridging space was absolutely just that.
When I first stumbled upon bridging, I didn’t know it was exactly what I was looking for. I was raised in a very conservative Christian home. I knew people believed differently than we did, but it was more theoretical than in practice.
I had little to no relationships with people who had a different life and worldview.
I remember my bubble being burst when I had a disagreement with a classmate and I who went to the same church found we disagreed on abortion. I couldn’t believe a Christian would think that abortion was a women’s rights issue, rather than the life or death of a child.
In early college I joined the Ron Paul campaign at the behest of my very cerebral friends. I was blown away by the diversity of opinion amongst fellow supporters. I was equally appalled by the derision of Ron Paul among Republicans, in particular when it came to foreign policy. I began to see that dogmatism wasn’t limited to the religious. It could easily be a part of any organization.
Fast forward to the Pandemic. After many years of non-involvement with local or national politics besides voting, I stumbled upon some Braver Angels content. I began to participate in events online. I was hooked. I started to feel the same hope I had once felt as part of the “Ron Paul rLOVEution.”
In an extremely polarized time, finding people who wanted to listen to understand, dialogue instead of argue, and valued mutual respect and civility, seemed way too good to be true–but it wasn’t!
In the Braver Angels Way, I rediscovered foundational principles I believed in as a Christian like the Golden Rule and “loving my neighbor.”
These values would be put to the test in my 2 plus years as a practitioner. The more I worked with people who were different from me, the more aware of my own biases and blind spots. The more aware I was of my own blind spots, the more curious I became of other views. The more curious I became, the more I began to deeply respect those with even the most polar opposite views.
Most of my views hadn’t changed too much, but my view of my political “opponents” had.
My depolarization journey was well on its way.
No longer did I see those on the political left as people who “hated America” or “brainwashed.” I began to see that the person sitting in front of me was oftentimes as equally concerned about the future of America as I was.
Join us on Tuesday, October 8th at 12pm EST on our Cohesion Strategy LinkedIn for a conversation between Danny and Allison further discussing bridging strategies, outcomes, and impact.
Guest author: Danny Morales, Ambassador and Interim SC State Co-Coordinator, Braver Angels
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