Last night I joined a conversation on Clubhouse that was really challenging.
Because I am writing this before 6am, and don’t plan on writing for a couple hours, I’m going to leave the topic out of my thoughts below.
The conversation was hot and a participant (who was in my opinion immature) created a bit of a mess. I wasn’t planning on speaking but thought I could give some insight to the challenging topic this young man brought up. I said what I wanted to, then I made a tangent point to another argument. This tangent, to be blunt, was uninformed (read as ‘ignorant’ if you like), and it was further misunderstood in a way to undermine everything I said before this error. My fault. My communication was poor.
Then a second crap-storm broke out. I sat silently while other people argued for and against a point I never intended to make. About 15 minutes later the moderator created a space, invited me, back into the conversation.
I was careful to apologize, tried to explain what I was really trying to say. Then again acknowledged that what I said was wrong. I didn’t want my explanation of intent to be perceived as an excuse, so I was happy to end with a second apology.
But others still wanted to talk about the point that was contentious, even though there was a window of opportunity to move on, and the discussion became a convoluted argument. More people misspoke and the conversation was filled with people triggered by the previous speaker. Then some of them got upset with the moderators who where trying their best to keep the conversation polite and respectful.
Hard conversations are hard to have… or they wouldn’t be hard! But we need to learn to have them. We need to understand that learning conversations might involve not just disagreement, but hurt. We need to be willing to set aside egos, and not take things personally, when there isn’t intent to hurt. We need to make conversation spaces places where we can misspeak, where we can apologize, where we can disagree, even in places where topics make us feel uncomfortable.
We need conversations to be safe, and understand that topics won’t always feel safe. This is tricky. This is something some people won’t agree with. But if the conversation can’t go to uncomfortable places, to places that feel uncomfortable, then the learning is hindered. The ability to make mistakes and learn from them disappears. The conversation becomes a ‘safe space‘ but it is no longer a rich learning space. Hurt is no longer something that can be healed, instead it is interpreted as hate. Perspectives become polarized, rather than recognizing how ideas are on a spectrum:
“We want to live, thrive, and love in a pluralistic society. We just need to recognize that in such a society we must be tolerant and accepting of opposing views, unaccepting of hateful and hurtful acts, and smart enough to understand the difference.”
Hurtful words are not always hurtful or hateful acts. Opposing views are not always personal attacks. And opposing views are not ever changed by attacking the person who holds those views. If we let the words, said in error, said in misunderstanding, and even said in ignorance, hurt us, we can not do the work to reach, or help others learn. We do not leave the room for insight or apology. We do not create any space for an opposing view to change.
Instead, we create a space where we can only feel wronged, where there are feelings of injury, and words are said in anger. Conversation gets lost, words get weaponized, and opportunities for learning diminish. If we can’t have conversations about difficult topics, because they don’t feel safe, then what is the alternative? Ignorance? Violence?
Words can hurt. If we hold on to the hurt, if we only see hate, words don’t ever get to heal. While we prevent the potential for hurt by avoiding challenging and charged conversations, we also never get to a place where minds can change… where conversations are hard, but where authentic learning can happen… where dialogue can bring people together, rather than keep people with opposing and different views apart.
See Tom Barrett’s Newsletter #203
Talk that changes us
“Having hard conversation” by David Truss resonated deeply with me this week. He outlines a conversation he experienced that ended up, in his words, as a crap-storm. But it was the reflection on safe spaces for talk and dialogue that piqued my interest the most.
A critical point that David Truss makes is that talk, which helps us grow and develop, might not always be easy and comforting.
We need to understand that learning conversations might involve not just disagreement, but hurt.
His reflection provokes a more profound appreciation for the intricacy of creating safe spaces and what this means…
When a “safe space‘ is no longer a rich learning space.” When “conversation gets lost, words get weaponized, and opportunities for learning diminish.”
Thank you David. These thoughts will serve as an anchor to the internal strife and hard work that many of us are attempting to do personally right now. Me included.
For me, when we enter into a discussion we are likely at a critical stage in our personal journey, which is what this is. I am beginning to think that there is an inherent conflict between public forum and the deeply personal work that is required. I wonder if this conflict is a natural consequence.
At any rate, this is our reconciliation, whatever the topic, grateful to you for sharing it here, and me snatching it to add to my tumbleweeds of thinking. Until the next discussion.
Greetings Jennifer,
This really strikes a chord with me: “I am beginning to think that there is an inherent conflict between public forum and the deeply personal work that is required.”
I think public forums are very difficult spaces to have challenging and hard conversations. It’s too easy for outside observers to pick apart still forming thoughts, and to find things to feel hurt or offended about. There is no room for the deeply personal work. But if we don’t try to have these conversations in public, if we don’t make public discourse a place where people can make and learn from mistakes… well then we undermine the possibility of public learning conversations at a time when everything is easily shared.