As I look back through my last several posts, I sense that you, my avid reader, might be confused. I can just see you now. There you are, up late at night on the edge of your chair, clicking your computer every few minutes in hope that I will deliver yet another masterful essay. (Or at least, that’s how I like to imagine you.)
And then I post something, and you can’t stand the contradictions. “What is this blog, anyway?!” you ask, tearing your hair out as you pace the room at 3 in the morning. “Make up your mind, Katie! Is this a political blog, a platform from which to criticize Governor Walker’s administration? Or is it a peacemaking blog, where you talk about how we all need to listen to each other? Am I supposed to listen to the other side, or agree with your side? I can’t take it anymore!!”
I confess I haven’t figured that out yet, either. Sure, my intent is peacemaking. But sometimes something will happen that really gets my dander up, and when my dander gets up it sort of takes over. I’m not sure what a dander is, but I imagine it looks a bit like a Lorax, standing on my shoulder (the left one, of course) and shouting at the world through my fingertips.
The results are my posts about my own political views, such as Wisconsin is Open for Pollution and The Wisconsin DNR is Open for Business. (Apparently, my dander likes making fun of Walker’s motto, “Wisconsin is open for business.”)
The rest of the time, when my dander is safely asleep, I’m channeling something else. Something that looks more like Gandhi, located somewhere closer to my heart. It’s then that I produce posts such as Shades of Gray, The Need for Dialogue, Dinner with the Conservatives, and Loraxes and Yooks. These posts express the main purpose of my blog: to foster respectful dialogue.
It seems that even for someone dedicated to peacemaking, it can be impossible to get away from personal biases.
In this blog, I’m not always sure where to find the balance between expressing my perspective and expressing the need to listen to other perspectives. But I’m learning. One thing I’ve learned is that it is possible to do both, in life and hopefully in this blog as well.
My obvious biases need not weaken my peacemaking mission. I can rant about Walker but still describe the value of listening to those who disagree. I can promote dialogue and listening while still making my own case for why Walker is wrong. Advocacy and dialogue need not be mutually exclusive!
I hope that my liberal bias will actually strengthen my case for peacemaking. I’m not someone neutral. I don’t pretend this is an unbiased blog. I have strong opinions, strong feelings—and because of this, I fully understand the challenge of opening our minds to each other. I hope I can be a leader in this way.
logically