As a facilitator and evangelist of civil discourse, it gives me no pleasure to say that civil discourse feels dead – at least in national politics. The general national malaise that we now read and hear about (depression, drug and alcohol abuse) has happened before, so I’m going to believe we’ll get through it like previous crappy times. But we need to recognize and learn to work through the new normal; people don’t trust government, traditional leaders or experts, we cling to what we choose to believe and we treat people outside of our own tribes badly. Leaders and the media cheer it on because it’s good for voters and ad revenue. A core cause is the phenomenon of confirmation bias and we’re all guilty. This little newsletter will try to continue to offer ideas and suggestions for these challenging times, but the first place to start is with you and me – our own confirmation biases. Read More …