In this episode I engage in conversation with my friend and co-worker, Adi Tilford.  Adi is a practicing Christian; I am a free-lance polytheist.  We discuss how too often we lump people into the same box.  Non-Christians think all Christians believe  and act in XYZ ways.  Christians often categorize all non-Christians in the same manner.  Adi and I prove that spirituality is a deeply personal journey and is utterly unboxable.  Listen in as we find much common ground in spite of our religious differences.  

This is an episodelet - just a little episode -  but it's packed with sites and opportunities to engage in civil discourse and get news from various sources to broaden your perspective.  Grab a pen and paper or have your phone ready to type in some info, then go engage with these resources and see how your mind opens.  

Michaelle Smith, Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Health Foundation, is my guest in this episode.  I was fortunate enough to be trained by Michaelle in a tool called The Ladder of Inference.  It is a way for each of us to check the "filters" we use when we encounter people or ideas.  "Filters" are pre-conceived ideas we have which then lead us to make assumptions, form beliefs, and create our behaviors.  By being aware of our "filters" we can open them up or change them, which allows us to then take in new information.  This single tool is not only valuable in civil discourse, but in marriages, working relationships, parenting -- every aspect of our lives.  Tune in and learn about The Ladder of Inference so you can start being more aware of your own tendencies.  

After a tumultuous week in my hometown in which the school board and the teachers' association were in public conflict with each other, I sat down with my friend, Christy Anderson, to try to figure out what had happened.  Christy and I differ vastly in our political beliefs, but public education is our common ground.  This incident in our school district was a great opportunity for us to model civil discourse. 

Do you let people into your inner most circle who disagree with you politically?  Have you cut people out of your life just because of politics?  Or do you enjoy conversing with people who have a totally different viewpoint than your own?  Listen in as I interview some of my friends and acquaintances and ask them this question.  

If the political schisms in our country concern you, if you are weary of the ugly polarization, if learning how to engage in civil discourse interests you, then this is a podcast worth your time.  We will explore practical strategies for helping each of us to listen better, to avoid becoming defensive, and to see people who differ from us as just fellow humans, rather than demons or Nazis.  We will teach people these strategies and then place them in conversation with people they may not otherwise talk to.  Help us save the US, one conversation at a time.