On Wednesday Oct. 23, ROI-NJ will host a women’s empowerment event where four-time Olympian Joetta will address the complicated topic of how to bridge the gaps between us.
No matter how you define your personal philosophy of life, one thing is clear:
we need to hone our skills to gain a better understanding of each other rather than trying to persuade each other to convert to our deeply held opinions.
It is essential for us all to master the art of listening.
When we practice engaging with one another in a meaningful way we can come to a more effective appreciation of the diversity of our opinions. Once we overcome our differences in a way that leads to civil conversation, we can stop thinking of anyone who disagrees with us as being our enemy.
Although we are all bombarded daily by the constant conversation that emphasizes our differences, I am actually stunned by how much we have in common versus how insurmountable our discrepancies may seem.
While social media platforms, political pundits and politicians, academia, religious leaders and anyone else with a pulse continue to reinforce and stress the gaps that separate us, the actual data paints a different picture!
Here is just a small sample of results from a recent YouGov’s survey designed to see what we actually agree on:
- 60% of Americans support increased spending on public housing
- 67% support the government offering medical debt forgiveness
- 79% have a favorable view of Social Security
- 74% favor the SNAP (food stamps) program
- 64% believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases and 59% think Roe v. Wade should not have been overturned
- 64% support having a law passed to formally protect access to contraception in the U.S.
- 68% have favorable views of their local police and 77% give favorable ratings to the Navy, Coast Guard, Army and Air Force while 78% rate the Marines favorably
- 89% believe honesty is the most important presidential quality followed by 88% who said fighting for what is right matters most (these results were equal across both Republicans and Democrats)
- 87% believe the ability of the president to unite the country is extremely important
- 68% believe that racism is at least somewhat of a problem
- 76% of Americans believe themselves to be at least somewhat patriotic
- 69% of Americans support same sex marriage
These actual numbers demonstrate that well over half of the citizens in the United States agree on a wide range of critical issues ranging from civil rights to government spending to abortion to civil rights and much more. Nonetheless, 71% of those interviewed were unaware of these commonalities. Instead, they confirmed that, in their opinion, we are more divided and more partisan than ever.
Let’s look at that statement again!
The perception that we are divided remains strongly embedded in our national discourse even though the facts show that more than half (at least 60%) included in the study representing U.S. citizens across gender, generation, race and education levels, came to agreement on most of our challenging issues! And to help close the communication gap, 60% further agreed they would like their representative to compromise more often.
Compromise – what a great concept!
If we find common ground, if we listen with an open mind, if we work together – then we can minimize the misconceptions and identify more productive ways to work together and compromise to achieve our common goals. It is a win-win approach for us all!
Please be sure to join ROI-NJ and learn from Joetta, as well as from each other, how we can make a difference as you shift from ‘debate mode’ to committing to participating in an interesting conversation!
“Bridging the gap with communication is about embracing our differences and fostering understanding. When we connect through meaningful dialogue, we create a stronger, more inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Let’s build that bridge together!” – Joetta
Register today by clicking here.Â
Content was provided by Sally Glick, a contributor to ROI-NJ.
