Two Rights Make a Circle

Check out the past week’s highlights as we build our movement!?

• Starts With Us will be front and center at South By Southwest with SWU Founding Partner Daniel Lubetzky announced in the initial lineup of Featured Speakers for the 2023 SXSW Conference! ??
• Last week we launched the first episode of “3Cs in History ,” a series featuring our own Ama Adi-Dako highlighting historical figures and moments that exemplify the practice of curiosity, compassion, and courage. We’re proud of how this one came out. Check it out and join in the conversation in the comments! ??
• A new reel with SWU Founding Partner Rabbi Josh Stanton exploring deeper definitions of apology and forgiveness. Are you ready to do the work? ??

You may have started to notice a more polished look and feel to Starts With Us content... Exciting things are in the works! ???

Make It A Habit

In an argument or conflict between two sides, we usually think of a “right vs. wrong” — that in the end, one is right and the other is wrong. When we are absolutely sure that we are in the right, we sometimes ignore the strong possibility that the other person is also right.?

This applies to concrete, physical things right in front of us, not just abstractions like feelings. If one person says it is nighttime and someone else says it is daytime, the hidden element could be a different time zone. The glass is half full and half empty. At one angle, a building appears flat and narrow; at another angle, it appears full and wide. Two people can attend the exact same event and have completely different takeaways, just like people can look at the same photo but see different things.

The dangers of a one sided story

In this image of Prince William addressing the public after the birth of his third child, two perspectives show a completely different story: one shows a man flipping off onlookers, and the other shows a proud father indicating a number three. In this case, there is an “answer” — it was a three and not the bird — but often, different perspectives reveal different sides of the same story. Another angle can be deceptive or illuminating — the goal of the conversation can be to uncover which is the actual case.

It’s important that we trust our five senses, but an awareness about how situations can be limited by perspective gives us greater access to the big picture. Two zoomed-in perspectives reveal more about a zoomed-out landscape than just one zoomed-in perspective. If someone sees something totally separate from what you see, it may not be a conflict but a collaboration toward a whole truth.

Next time you encounter a conflict of interpretation, consider the possibility that more than one truth can exist at the same time. Ask yourself:?

• Is it possible that this person has seen an aspect of the situation that I have not seen?
• Is it possible that if I was in the other person's shoes, I would also have the same perspective?

We are starting with us. We hope you are too.

With curiosity, compassion, and courage,

The Starts With Us Team