Welcome to “The Courage to Bridge the Divide” – Episode #36 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.
In this episode, I share a letter from a listener seeking advice about feeling rejected by family members, and not knowing how to have a productive conversation about that. The advice I will share could be applied in any situation where one feels as though others are distancing from them, whether or not it is family members.
Today’s quote is by Winston Churchill. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
One the many reasons that I love this quote is because I have so often observed that one root cause of assumptions, misunderstandings and conflict is people being afraid to say what’s on their mind – whether it’s an opinion, their feelings, or a question they need the answer to.
Most often, it seems, that fear comes from either not knowing how to approach the conversation, or the fear that the conversation, once initiated, will not go well and lead to conflict. Sometimes it’s because they fear the answer itself. As Churchill says, It takes courage.
What can help us to have that courage is to have a well-thought-out approach to initiating and having the conversation. In my response to this listener’s letter, I’ll offer some ideas on how to mindfully approach the conversation she may need to have.
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