Face to Face: Creating a Culture of Encounter
Two stories have broken this week which highlight one of the primary concerns of our Community: a breakdown in our society's ability to have a conversation.
First, an interview with the psychologist Jordan Peterson went viral. The reasons for its popularity had mainly to do with the positions he took which are more friendly to Conservatives than those that are often given either in major media outlets, or by academics. But what struck me most when watching the interview is a point covered very well by the Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf, that the interviewer did not seem to hear or understand what Peterson was actually saying. Instead she consistently caricatures him and sets up straw men to knock down.
This is only one prominent example of a wide trend in our culture. Comedians covering news stories have become a major source of news and analysis for many people, whether it is Seth Meyers' "A Closer Look" segments, or the significantly better researched Last Week Tonight of John Oliver. Satire like the Babylon Bee, though helpful when it stings, has become a popular way of reconfirming our biases, rather than a source of effective self-criticism. A Modest Proposal succeeds as satire because it hues so closely to truth that it was notoriously mistaken for a real proposal, and so it could convict us of our own faults. Satire which merely pokes fun for an audience that already agrees with it is little more than meanness for the sake of meanness. Rather than meaningful dialogue we have reached a point where, as Gary Younge points out, the Democratic party can be energized by its loss, without ever asking why, and Republicans can enthusiastically support elected officials who do not appear to support them or their values.
But this lack of self-critique, combined with an unwillingness to listen to our opponents is no random accident. Recently, several high-profile members of the tech industry have come out talking about the dangers of social media, particularly "dopamine-driven feedback loops," which reward us not based on good, productive human interaction, but on random approval. These feedback loops are essentially echo chambers. We are encouraged not to take reasoned, principled stands that might be unpopular with our in-groups, but rather to segregate ourselves into mutually-affirming ghettos. And negative feedback is simply weeded out with "unsubscribe" or "unfriend."
I've been reading a biography of G.K. Chesterton the last few days and it has been extremely convicting for me. Many of the friendships described in the book are between people with deep disagreements on philosophy and politics, and one of the things that they enjoyed doing most was exchanging ideas. I do not claim to be above my own criticism here: I am as guilty as anyone, both of social media addiction and of confirmation bias.
But there is a solution. Four years ago, Pope Francis coined a term: culture of encounter. At an event in Brazil he asked a crowd how often they gave money to poor people on the street, but never asked their name, never even looked in their eyes. He called for a renewal of encounter, of genuinely meeting the people around us. This has to be the way forward. We cannot grow as people unless we are willing to meet and genuinely listen to our neighbors, particularly those we do not naturally like.
In his brilliant book The Power of Silence, Cardinal Sarah points out that in order to genuinely listen it is necessary to become silent. Not just on the outside, by shutting our mouths, but in our minds as well. As long as we are only quiet while we formulate a response, we are not hearing the thoughts and concerns of our conversation partner. That is not to say that we need to be "open minded" in a new-age sense and accept whatever ideas we hear, but that we must be quiet enough to at least hear what the other person is actually saying, not simply reformulate it as a straw man we can easily knock down.
This is what we have in our sights in the Community of St Columbanus: a culture of encounter. We are adopting the Irish model of monasticism because it involves not only the silence of the contemplative life, but the zeal of the missionary life. We are trying to foster opportunities to meet people first. To listen to their concerns and fears and hurts first. To understand and to give practical help when we can. To foster human relationships which are motivated by love of our neighbors as Christ commands, not a mere mercenary intention to convert them to a cause.
It is only by having these encounters in real life, by opening our sealed feedback loops, that we can hope to share the love of God, the light of Christ. It is only in this way that we can hope to reconcile with one another.
- Matthew David Wiseman
First, an interview with the psychologist Jordan Peterson went viral. The reasons for its popularity had mainly to do with the positions he took which are more friendly to Conservatives than those that are often given either in major media outlets, or by academics. But what struck me most when watching the interview is a point covered very well by the Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf, that the interviewer did not seem to hear or understand what Peterson was actually saying. Instead she consistently caricatures him and sets up straw men to knock down.
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| John William Waterhouse's "The Favorites of the Emperor Honorius" When told that Rome fell to the Vandals, Honorius thought the chicken he had named "Rome" had died, and was relieved to find out it had not. |
This is only one prominent example of a wide trend in our culture. Comedians covering news stories have become a major source of news and analysis for many people, whether it is Seth Meyers' "A Closer Look" segments, or the significantly better researched Last Week Tonight of John Oliver. Satire like the Babylon Bee, though helpful when it stings, has become a popular way of reconfirming our biases, rather than a source of effective self-criticism. A Modest Proposal succeeds as satire because it hues so closely to truth that it was notoriously mistaken for a real proposal, and so it could convict us of our own faults. Satire which merely pokes fun for an audience that already agrees with it is little more than meanness for the sake of meanness. Rather than meaningful dialogue we have reached a point where, as Gary Younge points out, the Democratic party can be energized by its loss, without ever asking why, and Republicans can enthusiastically support elected officials who do not appear to support them or their values.
 |
| Raphael's "The School of Athens" Representing the great tradition of philosophical debate which helps lead us into truth. |
I've been reading a biography of G.K. Chesterton the last few days and it has been extremely convicting for me. Many of the friendships described in the book are between people with deep disagreements on philosophy and politics, and one of the things that they enjoyed doing most was exchanging ideas. I do not claim to be above my own criticism here: I am as guilty as anyone, both of social media addiction and of confirmation bias.
But there is a solution. Four years ago, Pope Francis coined a term: culture of encounter. At an event in Brazil he asked a crowd how often they gave money to poor people on the street, but never asked their name, never even looked in their eyes. He called for a renewal of encounter, of genuinely meeting the people around us. This has to be the way forward. We cannot grow as people unless we are willing to meet and genuinely listen to our neighbors, particularly those we do not naturally like.
 |
| Gustav Moreau's "Christ in the Garden." The night before he was crucified, Christ prayed that we all might be one, as he and the Father are one. |
This is what we have in our sights in the Community of St Columbanus: a culture of encounter. We are adopting the Irish model of monasticism because it involves not only the silence of the contemplative life, but the zeal of the missionary life. We are trying to foster opportunities to meet people first. To listen to their concerns and fears and hurts first. To understand and to give practical help when we can. To foster human relationships which are motivated by love of our neighbors as Christ commands, not a mere mercenary intention to convert them to a cause.
It is only by having these encounters in real life, by opening our sealed feedback loops, that we can hope to share the love of God, the light of Christ. It is only in this way that we can hope to reconcile with one another.
- Matthew David Wiseman
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