Polarization in politics is not just a situation limited to Colombia but a world-wide phenomenon. The repercussions of a struggle between powers, ideologies or opinions on opposite ends of the spectrum have prompted numerous behavioral science studies that try to understand its causes and, at the same time, provide the tools to extract lessons from these discussions.
One of such academics interested in this behavior is Arthur C. Brooks, professor of Harvard University and author the book “Love your enemies”, where he exposes the negative repercussions that polarization has had among families, friends and neighbors, caused by the currently tense American political climate: “One out of every six Americans has stopped talking to a relative or friend due to elections”.
The Liderario program, a platform created by Proantioquia, Comfama, Eafit University and Fundación Fraternidad Medellín for training and connecting leaders with public thought, invited professor Brooks to give a talk about his book, on March 25th.
What lessons did professor Brooks leave us?
The source of most of the conflicts that can’t be resolved through dialogue is “motive attribution asymmetry”, that presents itself when each part involved claims “I love, but the other part hates”.
Motive attribution asymmetry can lead us to think that the other part is stupid or evil; they’re neither. They just disagree with us, and if we want to persuade them -which should be our ultimate goal- we won’t achieve it with insults, just with love.
Disagreement is not only good, it’s desirable. “Agreeing is for mediocres”, says professor Brooks. “Competition in politics is what we call democracy; competition in economics leads to free market. Competing ideas mean progress for a free society”.
Political disagreement is completely normal, we all love someone we don’t agree with in political terms.
Courage isn’t standing by those that think like us, it’s being able to face those who agree with us to defend those who aren’t.
We’re free to establish our way of thinking. We don’t have a political identity, we just have a common history that we must share and understand. “When I reduce my identity to a single dimension, I lose almost all of my essence and become very easily manipulated”.
Love -as professor Brooks understands it- is not a feeling or an emotion: it’s a decision you make in spite of your feelings. “Start acting like the person you want to become: someone kind, decent, warm hearted and happy”.
We don’t have to agree, but we do have to try to understand the other part’s point of view and where it comes from. Dialogue is an essential tool for achieving this.
Our conversation with professor Brooks opens the door to some important reflections on Colombia’s current situation. It highlights a clear path to achieving progress in a society with conflicting views on the economic, social and political levels, and invites us to enable new habits that lead to collective prosperity, such as loving each other.
