It Isn't About Politics
Never before have we been so concerned with how to have conversations on politics with families and friends as we celebrate the holidays. In fact, CNN conducted a poll reporting that 60% of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving thought politics would come up, whether they wanted it to or not. A simple Google search on “How to Discuss Politics at Thanksgiving” yields 33,100,000 results (as compared with “How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey” at 14,100,000).
And how great is this.
Conversations are happening everywhere – from the dinner table to the boardroom, the cafeteria to the classroom – with an openness, candor, and perhaps even some good-natured humor in the spirit of the season. This process is essential to break down barriers and come together around common ground.
COMMUNITY FOR POSITIVE ACTION
Our challenge isn’t how to talk about politics, it’s how to turn the discussion – and even protests – into learning, understanding and constructive action.
One high-stakes post-election topic is climate change. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the next president’s decisions will echo for decades to come.
As of this writing, there are 208 million adult Americans who share an interest in global warming.1 Imagine if we all came together over this shared purpose to provide opportunities for discussion, galvanize change and, in so doing, create unity and real social impact.
How do we get started?
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
Start small. Start now. One way is to rethink how you spend your holidays and your holiday gifting. Consider this: give 1 in every 5 gifts on your list as a charitable donation or impact investment. If we each did one new action to help preserve our planet this holiday season, that turns conversation into 208 million ways united to advance environmental sustainability.
If our path to a greener future is curtailed by absences within our new government, it’s more essential than ever that we build a bigger, more energetic and diligent community today.
How will you join in?
Sources:
The Purposeworks is a social change consultancy focused on redefining the way we live and work. We collaborate with leaders and organizations to engage people + purpose as the engine for progressive growth.
Data Source:
1. According to a 2016 study by the Yale and George Mason universities, “Two-thirds of Americans are very or moderately interested in global warming. Yet two-thirds say they hear or talk about the issue only 'several times a year or less.” http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/23/politics/cnn-thanksgiving-poll