"I love Jason Warburg"

2022-08-22 11:35:56

Subscribe to RSS FeedAbout JasonAbout the BooksAbout ‘Believe in Me’About ‘My Heart Sings the Harmony’About ‘Never Break the Chain’About ‘The Remembering’Buy the BooksEventsConsultingContactJason Warburg~ Music, Fiction, Dreams ~Reunited StatesTwo years of isolation, disconnection, and toxic political divisiveness are enough to make anyone feel alienated—and enough to make the prospect of something as simple as a high school reunion feel like tap-dancing through a minefield.Going into my two-years-delayed 40th high school reunion a couple of weeks back I was anxious about two things: being in a large-ish group during a pandemic that’s not over yet—thankfully the group wasn’t that large and our reunion took place mostly outside—and hanging out with old friends whom I care about deeply, but in some cases disagree with dramatically when it comes to politics.I’m an optimist at heart—I want to believe that situations like this will work out for the best and everyone will behave, but I’m also keenly aware that, well, humans are gonna human. We’re flawed that way; it’s part of what makes us so unpredictable, and interesting, and fun, and impossible.High school reunions are wildly fascinating in the way they highlight how people can grow and change over time in some ways, while staying absolutely the same in others. The rowdy jock grows into the level-headed businessperson who still exercises constantly; the mercurial life of the party RSVPs, then no-shows; the Romeos still brag and the flirts still flirt, even if it starts to seem more out of habit than conviction; and the unicorn who graduated with friends in every corner of our clique-ish class still looks out for all of us. (Oh: and the introvert observing it all still struggles to put words together in the moment.)On the evening in question I ended up sharing a lot of laughs with three friends whose politics range from a little bit to much more conservative than mine. Other than a couple of mild in-passing comments, though, we steered clear of the day’s headlines and stuck to personal stuff. Besides trading memories and wisecracks, we shared talk of kids and grandkids, jobs and travels, injuries and maladies, aging parents and the tough decisions we face as caregivers.And though we didn’t manage to solve a single one of society’s problems, I came away feeling better about the USA, and people in general, than I did going in. One particular buddy and I have probably canceled out one another’s votes in every election for the last 40 years. And yet we had a number of meaningful conversations across the span of the evening, sharing both raucous laughter and moments of introspection, connecting in a way that has become rare and precious over these pandemic years.Disagreeing about politics does not negate our friendship; it’s a lesson that feels both prosaic and profound, simply because it represents our only real hope of detoxifying the American political conversation. Don’t get me wrong; it would be naïve to think that chatting over a beer at a high school reunion could change much. But treating politics as a zero-sum battle to be fought with Facebook memes is a dead end not just for the legislative process, but for American democracy itself.We have no choice, really, but to continue to try to engage, to keep on tiptoeing through that minefield. There are certain red lines that cannot be crossed: I will never be silent about my core values for the sake of someone else’s comfort, and I will never stand by when confronted with beliefs or actions that harm others. But most of the time, with most people, that should leave enough room to have a conversation. At our reunion, my friend and I took what feels like the most important step: we connected on a personal level. We paid respect to the fact that ultimately, we are all in this together. We were genuinely curious about each other’s lives, and the experiences that have shaped the people we have become. And these moments of connection are the essential atomic particles of the larger conversation that our nation so desperately needs to have. That conversation must be rooted in curiosity, empathy, respect, and yes, love for people who see the world differently than we do. To find common ground we must focus first not on changing minds, but on connecting hearts.Author name:Jason WarburgDiscussion:1 CommentOlder entriesRecent PostsReunited StatesThe Comet and the ColtWhat Matters MostBonus Time‘The Remembering’ is HereThe Book I Was Meant to WriteHybrid Vigor and Other MattersYou Did This (Thanks)The Most Important WorkThe RememberingArchivesArchivesSelect Month July 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 August 2021 March 2021 December 2020 October 2020 July 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 August 2019 May 2019 January 2019 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 April 2018 February 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 December 2016 November 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 June 2014 May 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 TwitterMy TweetsFacebookFacebookNewsletter©2022 Copyright by Jason WarburgBuilt by Wampus MultimediaTypominima theme by QBKL & BlogsessiveDesigned with Cufón & TypoSlabserif