Click on any of these statements of fundamental commitment to see what they’re about and not about.

Committed to Fighting Tribalism (What Is Tribalism and Why Should We Fight It?)
Committed to Quality Dialogue on Divisive Issues (What Is Quality Dialogue?)
Committed to Active Nonviolence (What is Active Nonviolence and Why Is It Better?)
Committed to Collaboration to Create Solutions (How Does Solutions Oriented Collaboration Work?)
Committed to Going Forward with Reconciliation and Solutions (Why Focus on Going Forward, Reconciliation and Solutions?)
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Committed to Fighting Tribalism

Tribalism refers to an attitude and ethic adopted and enforced by a group. The group demands strict loyalty and does not tolerate ideas or opinions in opposition to those of the group’s leaders or the group’s adopted creed of beliefs. A tribalist group often exists as a group unified by opposition to some other group, although many tribalist groups are unified only by loyalty to the group or a particular group leader. A tribalist group creates, in the minds of its members, a division in society between in-group people and out-group others. The out-group often is defined by a label that demonizes and/or demeans them. Tribalist groups often grow through “Triangling”, a coalition building strategy that involves complaining about a perceived problem or past injustice/injury, blaming it on some other person or group, and then asking others to align with the complainer against the person or group blamed for the problem.In its most extreme form, tribalism is facism. For example: Nazi’s complained about the treatment of Germany after World War I; they blamed Jews among others; they demanded strict loyalty and did not tolerate dissent or even dialogue on issues; they used violence to enforce loyalty, gain power, and persecute the demonized out-group. They destroyed much of Europe.

We should all fight tribalism because it leads to a number of destructive outcomes. Tribalism escalates conflict and divides societies between opposing coalitions - each demanding loyalty, demonizing and often persecuting others not members of the group, and focusing group energy on gaining power, and on resisting and defeating the opposing groups. Tribalism causes societies to become stuck in conflict and  unable to address problems with solutions oriented and forward looking dialogue on issues. Tribalism that escalates dangerously leads to war, both civil and international and a tremendous suffering and loss of life.
In America and elsewhere, for the sake of our society, our children, and our common goals of progress and prosperity, we all need to #FightTribalism.

 

Committed to Quality Dialogue on Divisive Issues

Quality dialogue is critical to solving difficult problems. It demands that those involved remain engaged, centered, grounded and clear. To fully explore the attitudes and practices involved in quality dialogue, click to look at each of these concepts - engaged, centered, grounded, and clear - individually. Quality dialogue seeks truth without needlessly escalating conflict. It demands that those involved be dedicated to problem solving, reconciliation, and progress, and not to self-promotion or a single-minded pursuit of “winning.” When necessary to avoid inflaming group passions and to allow for creativity in exploring solutions, it demands that leaders be willing to work directly, quietly, privately, and in-person with out-group leaders. Quality dialogue is fundamentally relational and not transactional.

 

Committed to Active Nonviolence

Active Nonviolence is an approach to conflict that rejects any use of violence to achieve goals except in the most rare situations of true self-defense. It is the approach of Mahatma Ghandi and Rev. Martin Luther King. It recognizes that violence only leads to more violence in retaliation. It rejects the idea that revenge is an acceptable response to an injury. Active nonviolence truly involves turning the other cheek, courageously enduring insults and injuries, but it does not mean being a doormat, getting passively trampled by bullies. It responds actively to bullying with generosity, humility, and kindness.  For each of these concepts as they apply to the use of active nonviolence in seeking lasting positive change, click on each individually - generosity, humility, and kindness - for more in-depth exploration. Active nonviolence does not demand surrender or weakness, rather it draws on nonviolent forms of power to influence change without coercion. It does not resort to deception or manipulation of opinion through inflammatory propaganda, but always seeks quality solutions-oriented dialogue with adversaries. Active nonviolence involves negotiation with a relational approach.
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Active nonviolence is better because it produces lasting positive change. In fact lasting change only can be achieved through active nonviolence. Change created through force and violence can produce a short term result that mean be positive, but in the long term the progress erodes and conflict returns and escalates because violence creates injury that inflames retaliation, simmering resentment, and a desire for revenge.

 

Committed to Collaboration to Create Solutions

Collaboration is very difficult - particularly with others that you disagree with strongly. Collaboration cannot take place in a society divided by tribalism. Where the focus is on blaming and opposing an out-group demonized other, it is nearly impossible for anyone to discuss problems without descending into name-calling and attacks. In these situations, groups lose sight of the problems needing to be addressed and, accordingly, can’t even begin to discuss solutions.
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To break the deadlock, to get things unstuck, group leaders must emerge who are willing to collaborate to create solutions. Solutions oriented collaboration does not involve one side or the other winning the other side over, but that is possible. More often it involves leaders making a continuing commitment to work together, to quality dialogue, and to a dogged pursuit of solutions. It does not involve looking for people to blame, but it does involve looking for conditions that cause problems and how to change those conditions or prevent them from occurring. When necessary to avoid inflaming group passions and to allow for creativity in exploring solutions, it demands that leaders be willing to work directly, quietly, privately, and in-person with out-group leaders. Solutions oriented collaboration demands a relational approach.

 

Committed to Going Forward with Reconciliation and Solutions

Going forward with reconciliation means that the focus of work between opposing groups is on making the present and the future better instead of obsessing about past injustices and injuries. While it is important to examine the past in pursuit of facts and in recognition of injuries, tribalism only grows when groups get stuck in conflict over their differing truths with regard to past events. Notions of justice also differ widely between individuals and groups. Groups that adopt the idea that they can never reconcile with the out-group unless the out-group meets fixed demands for specific forms of remedy as justice for past injury, will remain stuck in conflict indefinitely. An approach that seeks reconciliation can break tribalist conflict, however. Reconciliation means finding a way forward together, recognizing the past, but focusing on maximizing well-being for  everyone going forward. Reconciliation may involve apologies and forgiveness, but it doesn’t have to. It may just involve an acceptance that the past cannot be changed, but that, together, people can create a new present and future that is better and where tribalist conflict recedes or maybe even disappears.