The path taken by public discourse in this country and abroad is turning many of us off to what we should be interested in hearing.
Daily, we face issues relating to the economy, immigration, terrorism, war, land use, affordable housing, water rights, education, energy.
Too often, discourse about these issues turns into shouting matches and true meaning is lost, mired in the muck of buzzwords, propaganda, political mantras, and “gotcha journalism.”
What can we do? In the Western Slope town of Gunnison, a group of individuals are convinced they can set an example and begin to make a difference within their own sphere of acquaintances, business relationships and personal lives.
Spearheaded by the Gunnison Area Community Foundation, a “civility initiative” has brought together about 70 individuals to consider how they can have an impact.
Gunnison County is too small, these community leaders agreed, to have to deal with bickering and partisan debates that establish barriers and hamper progress on other city and county programs.
Words matter, the Gunnison group decided.
The need for civil discourse has never been more apparent. We are reminded of it more and more frequently by athletic heroes and movie stars, business and religious leaders, teachers, students and politicians.
The words splatter and besmirch the printed page, are offensive to the eyes, the mind. Spoken, the words assault the ears like hammer blows, repeatedly pounded away above the din of other words just as disagreeable.
The words make courteous debate impossible. Hatcheted into a sentence carefully crafted for a sound bite, they turn dialogue into monologue and ruin any chance of serious and considered give and take.
The words engender hatred, fear, disgust, anger, distrust and disbelief.
Other words, used differently, spoken civilly, foster trust, respect, understanding, admiration, hope, love.
True understanding results only when words have moral clarity and convey clear meaning.
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word,” wrote Mark Twain, “is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.”
Similarly, a Chinese proverb says that “the beginning of wisdom is calling things by their right names.”
Does one truly “hate” or simply “dislike?” Was that gift a “campaign contribution” or a “bribe”? Are those people “dedicated” or “fanatical”?
Many Gunnison County residents have a hunger for a kind of civility in public debate that encourages open minds, discourages adversarial approaches and results in clear understanding – not necessarily agreement, but empathy and consideration of diverse viewpoints.
Speaking to Western State College graduates at commencement on May 5, college president Jay Helman addressed the issue and talked of the importance of building “social capital.” In the book “Better Together,” authors Robert Putnam and Lewis Feldstein suggest that as our society grows more diverse, the importance of strengthening social networks increases.
Helman pointed out that the “bonding” many of us go through is a kind of glue that enables us to strengthen a cause or goal we share in common. More important, he said, is “bridging” – the WD-40 that helps us with the friction that often accompanies efforts to work with cultural differences, different points of view, and conflicting beliefs.
“Bridging social capital requires much of us,” he said. “Successful bridging requires the courage of open-mindedness and the willingness to listen carefully, to hear thoughtfully, and to understand the views of those with whom we disagree.
Here’s hoping Gunnison’s civility initiative will result in greater awareness of the importance of tolerance and respect, and that those who take to heart the program’s premises will help make the Gunnison Valley an even more wonderful place in which to live and learn.
A few years ago, a pastor’s invocation at the beginning of a meeting went like this: “Lord, let the words we use today be spoken in good taste, because tomorrow we may have to eat them.”
Words do matter.
Larry K. Meredith (lkmgunnison@) is an administrator at Western State College in Gunnison and author of the historical novel “This Cursed Valley” (Pearl Street Publishing, April 2003).
