World Views Colliding

Appreciating some learning stirred by my friend Jerry Nagel in Minnesota. Ever since meeting Jerry four or fives years ago, I’ve appreciated his commitment to understanding worldviews. He has a great intellectual curiosity, an ability to apply with practicality, and a realness that makes him really approachable.

Jerry is doing a TEDx Talk on world views. He offers some thoughts that I appreciate on when we get into trouble with world views: 1) when we make assumptions about others without being aware of why we make those assumptions, and 2) when we try to impose our worldview on others.

Jerry helps me to imagine an exercise that I’d like to create and try. It would be inviting, perhaps in the form of a cafe, some understanding on what our world views are. I can imagine it starting with some introduction. And then this doorway into world views: “What is it that you believe that we all know about leadership?” What “we all know,” along with the stories that go with it, would tease out some of that awareness and imposition aha that Jerry speaks of.

Could be on leadership. Could be on the broader concept of being human. Or about a specific project depending on the group of people.

I realize I come at it from this perspective of curiosity:
-Wow, another human — what kind of human are you?
-I bet as a human you have a few interesting experiences and world views?
-Here’s the kicker, sometimes it is only in the context of social interaction that we can become more aware of those views.

Cools stuff that has me excited. Thanks Jerry.

 

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