A New Year’s Resolution That Just Might Stick
I've never been good about making New Year's resolutions. Here's the story of why this year's might just stick. And it's about stories.
I've never been good about making New Year's resolutions. Here's the story of why this year's might just stick. And it's about stories.
How do we change the way Americans (and others) think about and deal with conflict? Here's a first step toward building a movement.
This week begins a new school year in which I’ll be playing a small part in teaching an introductory course on conflict in our world at George Mason University. I’m not the lead instructor, and I’ll mostly be listening and learning, looking for material to use in the textbook I’m writing with Doug Irvin-Erickson, who is the actual instructor. Still, I can’t NOT worry about the challenges and responsibilities that come with teaching about peace and conflict studies now that we are almost two years into the Trump administration. Some of the questions I ask are the same ones that have been around since I was on the other side of the professorial desk in the 1960s. Some of them are new.
What have I learned from years in the classroom? And as a public policy advocate? And as a peacebuilder? The answer runs counter to almost everything I was taught along the way. It has less to do with the quality of the argument I make and more to do with the relationships I build.