The research is pouring in! We're born to connect. A new book, Born to Be Good by Dacher Keltner focuses on the importance of such things as smiles, the importance of making contact. It reminds me on this day, the eve of Obama's inauguration, that I originally committed to him on the basis of his smile. It was, and still is, real. No phoney smiles for him. It makes you realize how much phoney emotion we're surrounded by, from politicians to commericials. But Obama truly connects.
I was also excited by a story on the Huffington Post that told about the efforts of MeetUp and Huffington Post to get people at the inauguration to say hello. They handed out name tags and encouraged people to greet each other. It reminds me our our Phinney EcoVillage project, the "stop and chat" campaign to encourage people to get to know their neighbors. Recent research shows that when your neighbor is happy, you are affected by that. It makes you happier too. And how else is that communicated? By stopping, chatting, smiling, and laughing!
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Deliberation
A Jan 6th column by NYTimes Clyde Haberman
calls for careful reflection as we move into our new administration. Haste in decision making has given us too many disasters, like the USA Patriot Act, to name a big one.
This is where we, the citizens, come in. We must come together for deliberation. Try something my husband I have done: "News Night." Every week we came together with friends to talk about something they had read in the news that week.
We all left those sessions having learned a lot from each other and having clarified our own views. But the most important thing was that brand new ideas emerged each week, ideas we would never have produced on our own. And most important of all, it was fun!
calls for careful reflection as we move into our new administration. Haste in decision making has given us too many disasters, like the USA Patriot Act, to name a big one.
This is where we, the citizens, come in. We must come together for deliberation. Try something my husband I have done: "News Night." Every week we came together with friends to talk about something they had read in the news that week.
We all left those sessions having learned a lot from each other and having clarified our own views. But the most important thing was that brand new ideas emerged each week, ideas we would never have produced on our own. And most important of all, it was fun!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Obama and Conversation
In a recent New York Times article
a friend recalled some Obama advice when he visited New York after Obama was a student at Columbia.
"Mr. Ramos visited Mr. Obama in New York City in the early 1980s after Mr. Obama had graduated from Columbia University.
“I was just so blown away by New York, so intimidated,” Mr. Ramos recalled. “And he said to me, ‘Mike, don’t worry. New Yorkers are just like everybody else — they appreciate a kind gesture and a thoughtful response.’ ”
This just about sums it up! This is what should lie at the heart of all of our conversation: a kind gesture and a thoughtful response.
Those of us involved in social change should always remember this, or we just drive people away.
a friend recalled some Obama advice when he visited New York after Obama was a student at Columbia.
"Mr. Ramos visited Mr. Obama in New York City in the early 1980s after Mr. Obama had graduated from Columbia University.
“I was just so blown away by New York, so intimidated,” Mr. Ramos recalled. “And he said to me, ‘Mike, don’t worry. New Yorkers are just like everybody else — they appreciate a kind gesture and a thoughtful response.’ ”
This just about sums it up! This is what should lie at the heart of all of our conversation: a kind gesture and a thoughtful response.
Those of us involved in social change should always remember this, or we just drive people away.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
