Climate Change
“How do you create a climate where the truth is heard? (74) This question, asked by Jim Collins, the author of the book Good to Great intrigued me. Especially as it relates to a question one of my college students in my “World Religions” class asked me recently. He wanted to know, after studying all of the religions, what did I think was the most important things to know, those truths that I thought were vital. My answer seems to fit in two of the practices suggested by Collins: 1. Lead with questions, not answers, and 2. Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion.
When we lead with questions we can break down our own wall of ignorance. I explained to my students that we are always learning but sometimes, if we ask the right questions, we come across a nugget of truth that we can hold onto and use for the rest of our life journey. One of those, I explained, relates to the two great Christian commandments, Love God and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. If we focus on relationships and how we treat one another we can put into practice one of the ultimate and lasting truths. Another example I share with my students is the concept of sowing and reaping. If we sow an apple seed we do not reap an orange tree, and if we sow love we will reap love. We can question a truth’s validity and test it in the natural world and in the supernatural realm.
When we lead with questions we can also develop the art of listening. As Quaker writer Douglas Steere puts it, “Holy listening—to ‘listen’ another’s soul into life, into a condition of disclosure and discovery¾may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another.” * By turning to wonder we can engage in difficult conversations, dialogue and debate.
By engaging in dialogue and debate instead of coercion we can create an environment where truth can emerge. Collins states, “…all the good-to-great companies had a penchant for intense dialogue. … They didn’t use discussion as a sham process to let people ‘have their say’ so that they could ‘buy in’ to a predetermined decision. The process was more like a heated scientific debate, with people engaged in a search for the best answers.” (77) When I lead my classroom discussions, very often I ask questions of the students. Instead of coercing them into believing what I am sharing I strive to bring the answers to the surface from inside of their minds. In this way we engage in a dialogue, and sometimes a debate, where two or more of us can explore an issue and find the core of its truth. In order to fully know a truth it is important to examine it from a variety of perspectives; and typically these perspectives come from various individuals or sources. By exploring truth in this manner we learn from one another, question ideas, debate details, and eventually can come to some clarity regarding truth.
By enacting these two principles set forth by Collins we create a climate where the truth can be heard, and when the truth is heard the whole climate can change.
Is there a time when you enacted one or both of these principles and created a climate where truth could be heard?
*Formation, an educational philosophy advanced by Parker Palmer
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