First impressions…

First posts can be a little awkward, just as first impressions can sometimes be. But first impressions, however brief, are exactly those moments of vulnerability and curiosity that spark meaningful and lasting connections. Let’s imagine that we’re meeting in person for the first time at a party at a mutual friend’s. And we can totally pretend that we’re over Covid-19 at this point. (Because who isn’t over the pandemic right now *eye roll*…)

You’ve overheard my just finished tirade about how neoliberalism has pretty much ruined everything, and want to chime in. You pick yourself off the couch and grab the drink you’ve been slowly sipping off the nearby coffee table. You walk over to introduce yourself. 

“Hey there—I’m [Your Name]. I overheard what you’ve said and figured that this is a good time to jump in.”

“Perfect! Nice meeting you. I’m Cam. And sorry for being a little loud—people often say that my voice carries!”

We laugh. 

“Well, I think there’s a lot in what you’ve said that I agree with. But I think it’s also more complicated than that.”

“I’m all ears,” I say. “Tell me more.”

We jump from one topic to another—our current economic system and who benefits from it, the extremes of wealth and poverty and what to do about it, and how society struggles to find the right balance between rewarding human efforts and responding to the human condition.

“Mind. Blown.” I gesture with my hands around my head. “Loved this conversation. How can we keep in touch?”

We exchange contact information.

“Cam, we don’t have a lot of time,” you say. “There’s an urgency like there’s never been to address the problems that the world faces.”

I pause. This is interesting, I think to myself, acknowledging the changing tone of our conversation. 

“We need to work quickly. We’re seeing the forces of disintegration all around us—hyper partisanship, decaying governments, post-truths and ‘alternative facts.’ The spurning of scholarship and expert advice for simplistic solutions. The “othering” of those unlike us. And a tethering to concepts and ideals that do more to harm humanity’s potential than to raise it up. Just to name a few.”

I’m stunned. And my face says as much. A grin soon follows. 

“So, what do we do?” I say.

“We keep talking. To each other, to those like us and to those different from us. And we work to build consensus—however hard it may be—and test that consensus until we replace it with something better.”