by Yehuda Amichai<\/em><\/p>\n From the place where we are right The place where we are right But doubts and loves In a time that has been so divisive, when friendships and and family relationships have been torn apart by differences in perspective about social issues, this poem speaks strongly to me about how we hold and express our convictions.<\/p>\n Here is what educator and philosopher\u00a0Parker Palmer says about this poem:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a poem I re-read frequently. As short and simple as it is, it helps me remember that nothing new can grow between us when we speak to each other from \u201cthe place where we are right. More important, the poem leads me to ask what I think is a question worth pondering: How might things change if we began our political conversations not from our certainties, but from our \u201cdoubts and loves\u201d? Many of us who differ politically love the same things \u2014 our children and grandchildren, our country, the natural world. Many of us who differ politically harbor the same doubts \u2014 that what\u2019s being done (or not done) to care for the things we love is the best or the right thing to do. Yes, we differ on what ought to be done. But what if instead of starting by arguing over solutions \u2014 over \u201cthe place where we are right\u201d \u2014 we began by sharing our loves and doubts? I suspect that our political conversations would be much more productive because they would proceed from common ground.\u00a0Hey, it\u2019s worth a try! One thing I\u2019m certain about is that the other way isn\u2019t working!<\/em><\/p>\n What happens when we “dig up” the earth of our convictions? Do we perhaps loosen the soil and make it more fruitful?\u00a0I believe in some ways, our remote\u00a0situation\u00a0has brought us closer as a community. On the other\u00a0hand, some of the tendencies to engage in monologues, instead of dialogues, have become more pronounced.<\/p>\n Loretta Ross helps us think about when our expressions of opinion or criticisms of others are\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>fruitful:<\/p>\n Professor Ross thinks call-out culture has taken conversations that could have once been learning opportunities and turned them into mud wrestling on\u00a0<\/em>message boards<\/em><\/a>, YouTube comments, Twitter and at colleges like Smith, where proving one\u2019s commitment to social justice has become something of a varsity sport.\u00a0I think we actually sabotage our own happiness with this unrestrained anger. And I have to honestly ask: Why are you making choices to make the world crueler than it needs to be and calling that being \u2018woke\u2019?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Loretta Ross reminds me that there is always a better way of expressing our beliefs than shaming others.<\/p>\n This poem reminds me of something\u00a0I have always\u00a0believed–that truth\u00a0is always complex and multifaceted, our perspectives\u00a0are always subjective, that there is a grain of truth\u00a0hidden in everything;\u00a0\u00a0except when it isn\u2019t,<\/em>\u00a0except\u00a0when they aren\u2019t,<\/em>\u00a0except when it cannot be found..<\/em><\/p>\n James Baldwin famously\u00a0said:\u00a0\u201cWe can\u00a0disagree<\/strong>\u00a0and still love each other. Unless\u00a0your disagreement<\/strong>\u00a0is rooted in\u00a0my<\/strong>\u00a0oppression and denial of\u00a0my<\/strong>\u00a0humanity and\u00a0right to exist<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n I believe that finding the difference is not always easy, but it’s\u00a0necessary that we\u00a0look until we do.\u00a0And that keeping\u00a0the humanity and right to exist of others is the best compass\u00a0with which to always orient\u00a0ourselves.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Place Where We Are Right by Yehuda Amichai From the place where we are right Flowers will never grow In the spring. The place where we are right Is hard and trampled Like a yard. But doubts and loves … Continue reading
\nFlowers will never grow
\nIn the spring.<\/p>\n
\nIs hard and trampled
\nLike a yard.<\/p>\n
\nDig up the world
\nLike a mole, a plow.
\nAnd a whisper will be heard in the place
\nWhere the ruined
\nHouse once stood.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/126\/2020\/12\/Winding-Path-228x300.jpg\")
When I think of\u00a0doubts and loves<\/em>, I think about asking ourselves why we hold a certain position with such vehemence, and what are the most courageous ways to convey our viewpoints.<\/p>\n