Talking to people we seriously disagree with can sound like a recipe for a bad headache and high blood pressure. But does it have to be? Might it instead be a recipe for understanding, connection, and even friendship? To find out, my liberal cousin Jon Karpilow spent seven months working in a gun shop in rural northern California. In this podcast he shares why he did it, what he learned, and if he'd ever, ever, do something like that again. (Spoiler alert: Yes, he would.)
Jon's book, A Liberal’s Search For America - Tales From The Gun Shop, on which this interview is based, is now available on Amazon.
"This collection of short stories depicts the personalities and events in this rural, conservative slice of America, and reminds us of how friendship can overcome ideological-based animosity when each of us makes an effort to engage and listen to those whose beliefs differ from our own."
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Kern Beare is the founder of the Difficult Conversations Project and the author of Difficult Conversations: The Art and Science of Working Together. He also facilitates a workshop based on his book, which is free for non-profit organizations and community groups.