If you could start a movement in your community, what would it be? And why?

If you could start a movement in your community, what would it be? And why?

I would start a community movement for understanding. The political issues in this country have divided friends, families, and groups across the nation, for no reason. If people could take the time to talk, have a rational conversation to understand why each side feels the way they do, perhaps there can be a middle ground. To do so takes a lot of effort - the willingness to not accuse, to discuss not argue, to be open to other ideas and opinions while checking out the facts and fallacies, to be extremely patient. One on one, a movement for understanding. Perhaps some minds would change, perhaps not, but at least each one would better understand and perhaps tolerate the other.

Our Neighborhood Association actually did try to start a movement of sorts recently. We sponsored a night in our local park for "National Night Out," and encouraged our neighbors to bring their picnic dinners and meet their neighbors. And I think making connections is really key to a bunch of other issues, like understanding racial, cultural and political differences. Not that it's a cure-all, but it's a first step.

I would love to be part of an organization where people of different viewpoints listen to one another respectfully and kindly, learn from one another, and develop connections despite their differences. This kind of understanding is so much needed in our world of “us” and “them.” I don’t know that I have the courage to start something like this on my own, but I might if I had a group like Hubert’s friends to work with me.

I would love a movement that connected generations together to help each other. Older generations tend to know more skills and have life experience to offer, very helpful for younger generations just starting out in the world who are living at a time where skills have been removed from public education and who may benefit from a perspective beyond what their families could offer. Conversely, younger generations can assist their elders to use or install new technology and explain new companies, industries or procedures.

Last night, the local news spotlighted a young woman who had moved to the area. To make friends, she posted a TikTok message for other women to join her walking a local trail. The first time, several women joined. The second time, more than one hundred women joined the group. They visited while they walked and then stopped at an outside eatery to socialize.

My granddaughter recently started a kindness club with her fourth grade classmates. That is the club I would like to see the world join. So many problems would be solved if we could just treat others with kindness.

There is a common thread running through all of the previous responses that resonates with a movement I believe we all need desperately right now. We all have a story to tell and we need to have a safe place where we can share those stories. Understanding, kindness, community building, intergenerational connections, respectful listening, friendships... all of these begin when we face our fear of being out of the comfort zone of people who think just like us and look just like us and act just like us and sound just like us...and we actually listen to each other and share our stories with each other without censure. It is amazing how much we have in common when we really listen to each other. This forum is a community of committed readers who read constantly and love to talk to other readers about what we have read. Why? Because we love hearing the stories of others. Some of these stories are like our own, some are wildly different, some teach , some enrich , some transport, some depress...all widen our world and connect us together. Isn't that what we need so badly right now?