Being a lobbyist means that people you know (or have just met) want to talk politics with you, which I am happy to do … because I want to know what people are thinking and why.

They are laying the foundation, person by person, for how our community and country feels about our challenges and direction.

I am completely overwhelmed by the number of people who have told me that they are tired — so very tired of the political bickering, finger-pointing and lack of cooperation that is occurring at all levels of the political process.

And this feeling comes from people from across the ideological spectrum.

Which brings to me an older podcast that I revisited recently. It addresses the concept of ’emotional correctness.’

The fundamental message is:

You can’t even begin to convince someone of your ideas if they don’t listen to you first.

What we are witnessing on the political scene is people talking past each other – actually over each other. It’s all about who can talk the loudest and belittle the other person the most.

So, they aren’t talking through disagreements – they are shouting at each other with ears turned OFF.

NO ONE’S LISTENING!

That’s what people are tired of.

As the Ted Talk speaker so aptly stated: “Our challenge is to find the compassion for others that we want them to have for us.”

It’s totally OK to validate someone else’s experience, even it it’s not your own.

That’s ’emotional correctness.’

So, even if we disagree (even fundamentally), we can treat each other decently as human beings … and that’s the beginning … the beginning of hearing the other person’s point of view and finding common ground – – even if it’s just one grain at a time.

Jeanette