Finding Common Ground With Those Who Hold Contrary Beliefs

Polarization and tribalism have taken hold of many parts of our public discourse today. It has been my experience that many who I once thought to be reasonable, have now placed politics over principles. How did we get here? When people place political blinders on, and quit interacting with those of differing mindsets, they often lose their ability to focus on things such as integrity, consistency and our common humanity. As my friend and Braver Angels brother John Wood Jr. recently stated in DTH Episode 165, "Polarization is the one problem that ensures all other problems won't be solved". Why? If we we are not having conversations with those of differing mindsets, we lose the opportunity for finding common ground with those who hold contrary beliefs.

Who is Jefferson Shupe and what is "The Bathwater Brigade"?

Jefferson Shupe is a father, software coder, musician and author living with his family in Utah. After making plenty of his own mistakes when it came to public political discourse, Jefferson began to realize that toxic conversations and interactions seldom, if ever, led to positive or productive results. Jefferson has a strong passion for discussing world events with friends and strangers who challenge his ideas as he try's to make sense of it all and connect with founding principles. This passion led to Jefferson writing "The Bathwater Brigade" a novel on principles over politics. It is a fictional account of what happens when a racial tragedy divides a Texas college town and a free-speech club stands for unity amid violent demands for its termination.

Learn more and connect with Jefferson Shupe by checking out the full show notes for this episode at DerateTheHate.com.

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What have you done today to make your life a better life? What have you done today to make the world a better place? The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for everything you’ve got. Make each and every day the day that you want it to be!

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