Tag: Detroit Regional Chamber

We really listen to each other when we’re debating or arguing. And that exercise in listening is the essential element in building and maintaining civil personal relationships with those with whom you disagree. You have to make the effort to understand the experiences and values that shape another person's outlook. That's the objective of the Detroit Regional Chamber's Civility Project, which the two of us are hosting. We’re talking about how we deal, one-on-one, with someone who comes honestly to a different set of conclusions about politics, policy and the world. The idea grew out of a session we did two years ago for National Public Radio's Story Corps project. That informs his belief that the institutions of society, when challenged and held accountable, are the best hope for creating fair and equitable communities. We also came to the important realization that two people can look at the same set of facts, apply their individual experiences and values, and come up with different opinions. Most important, we've learned friends don't have to be ideological carbon copies. There's more to us than just our politics.