We need to nurture a sense of the common good. Cherie Harder, policy advisor, and think tank leader asserts “vital to such renewal will be the reinvigoration of what might seem a modest practice: the extension of intellectual hospitality”(2021). She recommends nine ways forward to increase trust which leaders wisely adopt:
- Read widely,
- Understand that hospitality is not the same as affirmation,
- Cultivate curiosity,
- Avoid unnecessary provocation,
- Insist on civility and model charity,
- Value relationships,
- Allow for changes of mind and heart,
- Do not seek to persuade,
- Start a book club.
This practical and sage advice speaks to the current political climate, relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, gender issues, family and community issues. When seeking the common good, we would be wise to adopt these practices. Check out Cherie Harder’s full post of Feb. 11 2021 here:
https://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/reviving-intellectual-hospitality/