This year, the very special American holiday of togetherness follows a divisive election. We both feel strongly that it’s important to look at how to
communicate constructively with others.
PHIL: It’s Thanksgiving again, and in this very political season, dinner table conversations may become more heated than ever. We’ve written extensively on how to resolve differences between partners without conflict, but how can that possibly be applied in this post-election
season?
Politics is far more emotional than rational. We pick policy positions that support our emotional responses, and argue over those policies rather than addressing the underlying feelings. The core emotion is fear, which is a tricky one to deal with because it’s scary to look at; it is an unseen force over our shoulder, pushing and pulling us in various directions, and it takes bravery to look over our shoulder and challenge it. It is
easier to see our response to it, which is anger.
MAUDE: This week many of us will be heading to Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends. There has been a lot of discord within many relationships in these tumultuous times. We feel therefore that it is a good moment to look again at processes of finding mutual solutions, successful means of communication and in general remembering to be thankful for all we
have.
Being aware and being active is a very important part of being a contributing citizen of society, and it also behooves us, as citizens and individuals, to remember all we have to be thankful for. Let’s all remember to acknowledge and appreciate all we have; to acknowledge our relationships with each other and to be kind to each other and ourselves.
