Agree to Disagree: A Workshop on the Art of Civil Discourse

with Mitchell C. Hunter

“Let’s agree to disagree.”

…but is that really the end of the conversation – or the opportunity to engage in a really engulfing conversation with a built-in learning component?

When I was growing up, we learned and practiced the Art of Civil Discourse. We were all required to take courses and were evaluated on ‘Citizenship’. In this time of hearing about “brainwashing,” “recruitment,” or even in concepts of “colonization, privilege, and dominant cultures” that may sound kind of disconcerting, but for us, civil discourse was simply the art and science of discussing a topic that may inherently have ‘sides to an issue’ – often with strong, emotional opinions. Discussing confrontive, perhaps personal issue topics in a civil manner – without displaying malice, inciting violence, raising one’s voice, or violating another’s personal space is truly a learned skill.

Civil discourse – usually about Civil topics: justice/injustice, existing laws or need for laws, protesting actions or celebrating actions, and institutional policies – takes some research and observation of issues. Even more than that, it requires curiosity, a generosity of spirit, and an inner strength born of self-awareness, and knowing who we are in the Universe / in Source.

The important thing to remember is while it’s not possible to make people change their deeply held beliefs, it is possible to offer different viewpoints, interesting observations, and hold space for new information and patterns of thought. Civil discourse can create room for the possibility of change.

Gratefully,

Mitch

Event Info Here