In this first episode of Nudges & Bridges: Making Better Decisions & Finding Common Ground, I suggest that each of us could find common ground with those we may disagree with on social and political issues. How do we do that? There may be many ways and I do not suggest that what I am offering is the only way. In fact, I think my notion of “cultural artifacts” is a set of “baby steps.” Yet, we have to start somewhere to connect us – including those with whom we disagree – with each other in a humane and civil way.
Episodes in this series will be offered at least monthly and will run just 5-10 minutes. I know we all have a lot to do and our attention gets focused on many other things. So, I’ll aim to be short and to the point with a minimum of academese but without shortchanging underlying reasoning for the examples. Each episode will offer a couple of examples of how music, sports, film, storytelling, literature, cuisine…even our pets, might help us make more collaborative decisions and provide common ground with others.
In this first episode, I will share how women in post-genocide Rwanda found ways to come together through music and business. I will also share the story of the famous World War I Christmas Eve truce when soldiers from opposing sides came together through singing, soccer, religion, trade…they even shared a cat. And how did I learn of these cases? Through film.
Other examples in this series may not be quite as dramatic, but both at work and outside of work, I think cultural artifacts can provide nudges for us to be more open to each other and to be bridges for us to find common ground.
Watch the podcast below or an audio-only version can be found by searching for Nudges & Bridges on major streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Audible, Apple Podcast and the home, Podbean.