How Curiosity Will Save Us | Mónica Guzmán | TEDxSeattle
For Mónica Guzmán, curiosity isn’t a muse that flits by when we wonder about something. It’s the most powerful tool we have to navigate our world, especially when our world is dangerously divided along political lines. “If you can’t be curious across divides in a polarized world,” she says, “you can’t see the world at all.”
Mónica shares examples of curiosity-driven conversations that make it possible for even the most opposed liberals and conservatives to see and hear one another, despite the misperceptions from their news feeds. With simple, powerful questions she herself has used in countless treks across the divide, Mónica shows us how having critical conversations with people-instead of about them-changes everything. And how taking the first steps toward understanding the views that most confound us isn’t just possible, it’s easier than you think. Mónica is Director of Digital Storytelling at Braver Angels, the nation’s largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization dedicated to bridging the political divide. She is a former fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, studying political division, and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, studying community engagement. Mónica is the co-founder of the Seattle newsletter The Evergrey and was a juror for the 2013 and 2014 Pulitzer Prize in journalism. In her 17-year journalism career, she’s written columns for The Seattle Times, GeekWire, the Columbia Journalism Review, the Daily Beast, and others. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents. Her book, I Never Thought of It That Way, comes out in March 2022.
Learn more:
Monica’s website: moniguzman.com
Mónica’s book-I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times: reclaimcuriosity.com
Braver Angels: braverangels.org
Mónica’s newsletter: bit.ly/reclaimcuriosit This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
Пікірлер: 22
Monica, Thank You for ENCOURAGING the Curiosity and Civility that it takes to help us see one another in our full humanity. You share so much rich "food for thought" that can help to nourish and grow deeper and more compassionate understanding all across the board. So thankful to hear this important and inspirational talk to help show us a better way to be BRAVER in our conversations with one another! 🙏🏻
Thank you, Monica Guzman. We can do this together through curiosity and respect (unconditional love and compassion).
😀This is revolutionary. I will share this with my college students... keep up this important work!
Great questions. Thank you Monica.
Dear Monica: I appreciate your insightful and knowledgeable talk, and I think you’re onto something here, and it’s certainly worth exploring, particularly the comment you made about the people who are least likely to be in your life, and yet you have an opinion about, especially based on their political views and who they may have voted for, and so here’s my question, how do you open a closed mind?
This is a GREAT talk, Monica! Thank you so much - great work ✌🏻❤️
I love this! Here's to hope ahead.
I love this! Thank you for sharing Monica. I appreciate you.
This is exactly what I have been thinking!! Thank you!!
I just love the opportunity you're offering people. I'm curious about curiosity now 🤩
This is gold.
Wonderful talk. Curiosity is a much-needed first step on the road to reconciliation. I look forward to reading Monica's book!
Her book is as great as her speech 😊
Thank you.
Insightful!!!
Great opening line
"We're not even playing the same game at the end of the day." Somebody else said what I've wanted to say for years.
real
Why is it always that liberals need to understand how conservatives feel and think and very rarely the other way around? I'm a liberal, but was once a conservative and I am frustrated by these overtures. I agree when you say you can't change anyone... BUT, as I did for myself, you can change your own way of thinking. I spent a long time questioning and rethinking my mindset and beliefs. I dug as deep as I could (and still do). I worked in factories, farms, service industries, offices and I get it. I get the fears that come with making a living and surviving. But that should only mean that we have MORE empathy towards others and that our way of thinking should allow for that, not the opposite, not giving into the fears and remaining obstinately conservative. On almost every issue, social, political, spiritual, if you are really curious you will arrive at a more liberal position.
Why are only the nice, thoughtful people writing books about reaching out? Why should they do all the work? When will the Trumpers and bigots and sexists start showing intellectual curiosity?
@danirich7247
9 ай бұрын
Writing books and speeches are the easy part, asking someone what they believe with the fear that they might hate you for disagreeing is a lot harder
@theotheraccount
7 ай бұрын
"When will the trumpers" stopped reading there.