Hello World!

We invite you to watch the conversation in preparation to the open forum “Living Together: Yes? No? How?”, where we identify some viewpoints and respond to or interact with them to find moments of resolution. We call such moments “cool spots” when new understanding or more awareness emerges about one side or another or what is happening. These moments of profound insight transform a known behavior, attitude, thinking, or feeling on one or both sides. When that happens, there is usually more flow in communication between two sides or viewpoints.

Part 1: discussion

Part 2: reflections and insights

Some of the key insights from this conversation are the following: 

– It seems to be impossible to solve complex challenges on your own or by one individual only. Global challenges are here for us to come together and work them out, building local and global communities along the way. We need public spaces for us to interact with all various opinions and worldviews to find unexpected solutions or new perspectives. Such facilitated public discussions are needed.   

– Gratitude may be a way to highlight the value (skills, potential, privileges, achievements) of the other. “Not enough gratitude” may signal a need to be more specific: 1) what we are grateful for exactly from the refugees’ side, to appreciate concrete things, not in general; 2) what is it that the local people see and get as value from the refugees and situation. Being specific from both sides may balance the need for more gratitude. More — not in terms of scale, but depth.   

– The far-right voices and the tension between the far-left have existed, yet the war and refugees bring this tension more to the surface and intensify it. During our conversation, it was a touching moment when a refugee understood how difficult it is for a far-right individual to be between fires. The refugee knows very well what it means to be/live in a tough spot, in between fires and tensions. 

– Also, in a strong reaction to defend and protect from the far-right side, a refugee saw and appreciated a sense of ownership from the far-right side. These were special moments of understanding, appreciation, and even connection. It was a conversation when two “monsters”/evil in the eyes of the other became two human beings. 

– It may be a matter of perspective: refugees in Switzerland can make the lives of the locals complicated. At the same time, it may be an invitation for the skills and practice of direct democracy of Swiss people to come forward and apply around the world. An expanded view of ownership emerged: when one shares and uses the skills, not just protects them, then one owns them. In other words, in this case, sharing is owning.