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November 6, 2024
Dear University Community,
The 2024 election is over, but the tensions it highlighted will remain. The closeness of most polls leading up to it and the final count demonstrates one thing for certain: we are a nation divided. For some, the outcome is reason for jubilation, and for others, utter despair. These divisions are not just āout thereā but āin here.ā They will show up in our classrooms and workplaces. Avoidance may be all you can do today. But a time will come, in a conversation or meeting, where you will have to make a choice about how to engage. When, not if, that happens, I am asking you to choose the difficult task of holding onto the idea of community. How do we pursue community, you may ask, when we donāt agree on the fundamentals? Someone else may ask, what are the fundamentals? Just like that, down the rabbit hole of ideological differences we go.
What I am asking practically is that instead of launching into a debate and taking the opportunity to āair all your grievances about the other side out.ā What if you chose to take a deep breath and listen? Simon Sinek, a self-described unshakeable optimist, describes listening as a ātrust-building exercise.ā The point is not to agree or change your beliefs, but instead, the goal is āto make the other person feel heard.ā No one wants to be shut down or vilified. Part of being in a community with those around you, especially those you disagree with, is offering respect with our words and actions. Itās possible that this simple act of listening, a way of demonstrating respect, can open the door to a conversation. Braver Angels encourage us to get curious and ask, How did you come to believe what you believe? Or, when a position terrifies you, ask, āWhy does this statement make you feel safe and me unsafe?ā In both cases, the questions create the space for you to slow down and listen, instead of jumping to judgment. If engaging terrifies you, thatās okay; offering silence without judgment is listening, too. The path forward is unclear, but the means to create one will require all of us, and listening is where we must start. Itās not easy, but neither is the alternative.
In service,
Enobong (Anna) Branch, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Equity and Professor
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