“Curiosity applied to the political divide is, I think, the most critical skill we need today.” ~ Monicá Guzmán
I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times is as encouraging a book as I can imagine. It is a curiosity guidebook par excellence, chock full of tips and tricks and a potent reminder that, as author Monicá Guzmán puts it, “understanding the people who confound us is always, always worth it.”
Monicá Guzmán, founder of Reclaim Curiosity, is senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels. She dedicates her days — and, as best I can tell, most of her nights and weekends as well — to helping the rest of us strengthen our curiosity muscle so we can, together, build trust and salvage our democracy.
Really perceptive questions — especially when they come on a bed of trust or relationship — can reveal so much that is so needed. They can help people feel like someone cares about them, is interested in them. So curiosity about other perspectives is a very warming, welcoming kind of thing.
An important, uplifting conversation that will leave you feeling better about what is possible. #choosetobecurious #reclaimcuriosity
In between recording this conversation and bringing it to air, I had the opportunity to see and hear Monicá in action at the Chautauqua Institution, where she closed out a week focused on “The State of Believing” with a lecture and workshop. Check out the nice write-up in the Chautauqua Daily before and after her wonderful talk.
You’re going to want to get to know Monicá Guzmán: https://www.moniguzman.com
Check out Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
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