Patterns from the Past, Lessons for Our Future
Plus the latest from The Convocation Unscripted team
On this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, we discuss the big question of how history can help us in the present. The task of historians is to identify patterns in the past in order to fashion a coherent narrative, which tells a story about how we got to the present. Unavoidably, this narrative is constructed in the context of problems in the present and concerns about the future. This week, Diana told us what she had learned about managing violence and conflict from her recent time with activists who were involved in the peace process in Northern Ireland and what might be helpful for our own contemporary troubles. We also discussed the dangers of focusing on “depolarization” as the primary problem, which can float free of any moral commitments, rather than substantive values like protecting democracy.
Great discussion folks. The insights from Irish history really imparted some valuable color here.
I was on the Irish retreat with Diana and her summary of the week was perfect. Like her, I thought the most powerful part was seeing and hearing from people who worked hard to lay the groundwork for the Good Friday accords. Our whole group was concerned about what’s happening in America and we all saw parallels with the Troubles. One of the presenters explained that there are 4 levels of change: personal, interpersonal, societal, and cultural. And the only levels we can impact are the first two. His comments made me realize where my focus should be.