This was a blog post drafted in March of 2019. However, yesterday while writing about a more recent talk by Mr. Brooks I discovered that this post was not in the archives of published posts. So here it is for the first time. Or here it is again if it actually got posted but somehow disappeared from the archive. Sleepless.
There was a recent interview on C-Span's Washington Journal with Arthur C. Brooks who talked about his book, "Love Your Enemies." (Watch that interview here.)
He made some interesting observations about how people get too heated in their interactions about politics. And the solution, to love our enemies, is a tough prescription. But it's one worth considering.
The interview lasted about an hour, and rather than trying to summarize, we'll touch on some of the highlights. First off, his website contains a one paragraph description of the book, as follows:
Love Your Enemies
A NEW BOOK
America has developed a “culture of contempt.” We increasingly view people who disagree with us not as merely incorrect or misguided, but as worthless. This is warping political discourse, tearing us apart as people, and even wrecking our health. But we can fight back. Drawing on ancient wisdom, cutting-edge behavioral science, and examples from history’s greatest leaders, Arthur Brooks shows how we can bridge national divides and make progress as a society, all while becoming happier and more effective people. Love Your Enemies is a guide to building a better country-but more than that, it is a roadmap to the happiness that comes when we choose to love one another, despite our differences.
Authors these days boil everything down to five main rules. And here are Mr. Brooks' rules:
1. Stand up to the man (i.e., stand up to our own side on behalf of people on the other side);
2. Escape the bubble (get out, get to know people with whom you disagree);
3. Say no to contempt (don't hold people with whom you disagree in contempt);
4. Disagree better, not less (acknowledge that people with whom you disagree are not evil); and
5. Disconnect (turn off the TV for a couple of weeks).
Taking an hour out of one's day to watch an interview is probably a lot to ask of people in this day and age of instant internet dopamine supply. But it was worth my time to watch it. Maybe it will be worth yours, too.
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2:57 PM 3/24/2019
Reposted
1:49 PM 2/19/2020
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