Common Ground

Sunday, September 3, 2006

An often used technique in the art of negotiation is to arrive at some kind of common ground between the conflicted parties. It can be something of minor consequence...an agreement on the weather, the shape of the table...anything that works to disarm the preconceived hostilities with which the parties have entered the negotiations. Or, it can be something of moment which appeals to boht sides' deeply seated emotions. Specifically, the intended result is to encourage both sides to put aside the baggage of animosity, fear and reluctance to communicate due to previous allegations made, one against the other.

We desperately need this kind of detente at all levels of discourse...worldwide, nationally and locally. The degree to which partisanship now prevails is rapidly becoming unstoppable. We, as a world, a nation and a community, must find away to stem the tide. Otherwise, we may reach a point wherein reversability will not be possible before all out conflict ensues. In this age of world wide trade, uncontrolled power, unchecked emotions and unlimited egos...the results will be nothing short of cataclysmic. These are not like times even as recently as 100 years ago when the chances of hostilities between two countires or regions did not threaten to upset a delicate world balance. That cannot be said for the world in which we live today. We DO live in a world where that balance is extraordinarily sensitive to external and internal change and it is easy to see that no country, no people and no community wil go unaffected.

Where can that common ground be found? There are undoubtedly avenues worth exploring. Perhaps we should focus on human values. There is no one, no nation, that does not want the best for its peoples...a decent opportunity to be educated, to be healthy, to not go in hunger. We can appeal to the universal desire for happiness, growth, productivity and love. Perhaps the last is the most important. Love. We readily acknowledge that there are universal values shared by all sentient beings and, perhaps, love is the most basic and the most enduring. Love is a starting point and an ending point. It encompasses all of life's endeavors, it envelops all of life, encourages and enboldens all growth. It provides the fertile soil in which all of our dreams can take root and grow.

A smile is another universal constant. We all express happiness, and love, with this archetypical expression. Archetypes know no artificial boundaries. They are part of our genetic heritage, part of what makes being alive life. Any person can look inside him or herself and find these themes regardless of whether they are in plain sight or if they have been hidden and submerged. They can be revived if they are not easily evoked because they never leave us nor do they ever die out. That is what makes them universal constants and what equally allows them to provide the common ground we so desperately need in this age of contention and division, of acrimony and fear.

We may find that, after we have fully embraced the love that lives inside all of us, a smile, a nod of tacit acceptance or an empathetic gesture may be emblematic of the archetypes that also reside within. We may discover that we are not quite so inclined to intolerance, which often arises out of a lack of understanding. A smile and the love which it represents may be the bridge to a realization of what we actually DO share. It may be a starting point that prevents intolerance from developing but rather ignites the fires of curiosity inquiry, and identity with others. Knowledge is the key to the dissoultion of intolerance. The dissoultion of intolerance is the key to the prevention of fear. And, the prevention of fear is a giant step in the effort to keep the seeds of hatred from ever growing.

A smart fellow once penned..."All you need is love"... (John Lennon.. whom I greatly admire). Truer words were never spoken!! It is time for all of us...the world, individual nations and communities...to rediscover the meaning and power of these words!

trickster108