On climate conversations: we all can’t sleep and face the same direction.
One main factor that limits the conversation and body of knowledge around climate change as we know it today is the fact that many people who rightly “believe in climate change” think that every other person has to agree with them and align with their position on climate change: the causes, the impacts, what needs to be done, by who and how soon?
The man who in his sleep faces the north, should not point fingers and say “you are wrong” to the man whose face is southward or eastward
To translate an African proverb, “We all can’t sleep and face the same direction” and this is true even in conversations about climate change. The man who in his sleep faces the north, should not point fingers and say “you are wrong” to the man whose face is southward or eastward. Similar to the different directions we face when asleep, the positions we hold when fully conscious are influenced by different reasons.
Image credit: Hello Giggle’s co-sleeping beds
see conversations as a means for broadening climate knowledge, crosschecking deep-seated notions, and not as a tool primarily to convince others.
Considering the divergence of opinion (and their respective backings), if we put ourselves in other people’s shoes, is it likely that we might take their positions or to a greater extent share their sentiments? If we see conversations on dividing subjects (for example, climate change and its associated narrative) as a means for broadening climate knowledge, crosschecking deep-seated notions, and not as a tool primarily to convince the other, I believe we can improve how to approach those whose views contradict ours and we can enrich the broader body of knowledge on a particular subject.
This starts by listening to one another – void of biases, as much as possible!