I'm participating in the Aspen Institute Great Decision Series on Global Leadership. It's a phenomenal program that fosters values based discussions and ethical debates. More often than not, participants share divergent thoughts that are tough to stomach.
As hard as they can be listen to, something magical happens when you can listen to and even try and understand the most offensive of opinions. Even if you disagree wholeheartedly with others, if you take the time to try and understand their viewpoint and see the world through their eyes, 3 things happen:
- Empathic bonds are created across political, social, cultural, and economic boundaries
- Horizons are broadened and expanded
- Innovation is spurred and accelerated
I'm actually quite confident that much more happens when you put yourself in others shoes. But in order to realize even the first benefit, you must first place yourself in situations where you force yourself to recognize it. Where can you find these situations?
- Volunteer and find ways to use your skills to meet more people from all walks of life using VolunteerMatch or MovingWorlds
- Find different groups in your community that focus on pretty much anything using Meetup
- Learn new things and teach new things using Skillshare
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