"I swear, if we spent as much time trying to solve our problems as we spend trying to figure out who to blame for our problems, we'd have a lot fewer problems." — Facebook post
Truth or Dare
In the late 80's, a friend of mine's father, a high school history teacher, described a pattern he had been noticing ... people were prefacing their opinions with “I feel ...” more than “I think.”
Now we have disputes over facts, history, reality itself. How are our decisions and worldviews shaped by what "feels" right? And how are those instincts shaped?
How do you know what's right or true when ...
Do you know your neighbors?
When I moved to Oakland, the first thing I did was host a gathering to meet my neighbors.
On the other hand, a friend of mine grew up in a small rural town in upstate New York. “Where I grew up, everyone was all up in your business. Now I only know my neighbors to nod to”
Another friend grew up on a “church block,” where people sat on their front stoops all summer long.
Do we share a golden image of community? Or do we really ...
When was the last time you felt unsafe?
I met a man who grew up outside Philadelphia. When he moved to the Bay Area, his wife wanted to live in Oakland because of its energy and creativity and diversity. He only saw danger and moved the family to Danville.
I met a man who grew up in Oakland. He lived in a neighborhood where people would randomly walk into your yard or your house and mess with you. He grew up with a heightened awareness of danger. As an adult, he moved to Walnut Creek and experienced for the first time a place where “everything worked.” “Everyone was ...
Is Race America’s “Middle East?”
“The One Truthiness” began in response to my first trip to Israel. I was fortunate to spend time with a number of bi-national communities — Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews living together “in conflict.”
I had avoided traveling to Israel for many years. As an American Jew, I found the topic intractable. Depending on with whom I was speaking, Israel was either completely Right or completely Wrong, and both sides ...