Welcome to Season 3! Thank you for being a listener over the last two years 🙏. Your support is deeply appreciated!

Polarization continues to grow on issues such gender-affirming care, abortion rights, anti-racism, climate solutions, and other political topics. It seems as though the more one side pulls in one direction, the harder the other side pulls back; we are in a political tug-of-war where the rope itself might actually snap.

There are a lot of contributors to the cycle of polarization. Yet, there is one that is rarely talked about—a component of the polarizing dynamic that, if we could bring into public discourse, may help soften or reverse the toxic spiral threatening to sink us.

This episode explores that covert component.

Together, we will explore:

-Whether compassion has become an ideology, and how this differs from pragmatic compassion—compassion in effect.

-How the Left-Right dynamics of polarization turn good-hearted intentions into a battle to uphold ideology.

-Whether it is possible to be exceptionally and deeply compassion without polarizing initiatives, and how this might look.

-The trend to classify everything as a medical or "brain disease" (removing personal responsibility) as a way to engender more compassion in the cultural consciousness; and whether it's possible to retain the idea of personal responsibility AND hold space for deep compassion for people at the same time.

-Current debates over weight loss/obesity, gender-affirming care, the #MeToo movement, climate (and other issues) and how compassion has become swept up in the spin cycle of polarization on these issues.

-Why efforts to generate more compassion fail when they focus on changing people's minds, instead of their hearts.

-How to appeal to people's hearts (individually and collectively), instead of trying to change their minds; how we can reduce defensiveness and backlash and increase actual compassionate behavior.

-Why true compassion always comes back to the question: what works?

-Whether Grizzly Adams had a beard (he did.. did you know that?).

What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com

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~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~