What are some obstacles to civic reflection and what can we do about them?
Many people are reluctant to enter into reading and discussion, for three main reasons: • They fear that they are not “smart” enough, especially if they did not enjoy literature classes in school. • They fear that they will be manipulated emotionally for the purposes of the group. • They fear that it will not be useful and will therefore waste precious time and energy. These are reasonable fears. What can we do to allay these fears? • Begin and end with the thing that participants all care about, whether that is a place, an organization, or a tradition of service. Differing perspectives will unfold in a context of common commitments. • Exorcise the academic ghosts—don’t exercise them! Build trust by asking open-ended questions, listening carefully and responding thoughtfully. • Make connections between the discussion of ideas and the experiences of participants. Ideas are useful when we see them at work in our lives.
