Showing posts with label Bridging The Divide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bridging The Divide. Show all posts

January 14, 2015

Eye To Eye

I took this photo from a sticker plastered on the street corner in Washington, D.C. 

What I like about it, aside from it's cute, is that I see a message here about good communications and conflict management skills. 

Notice the eyes are different (one is green/yellow and the other is orange/blue)...like it's two people. 

But there is one mouth open, speaking between them.

This speaks to that while we may be talking to each other and even think we are saying the same thing ("violently in agreement"), we need to make sure that we are listening, understanding, and working through our differences--so at the end, we are both really "seeing eye to eye." 

While each of us is different, and we may never fully agree (and cabn "agree to disagree"), we can also negotiate and come to terms on a win-win course of action. 

Talk it out, bridge the gaps, and get to a place where we not only are able to see eye to eye, but can then go forward together and make it truly work. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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December 5, 2014

Paper Thin

I took this photo to show something "paper thin."

Did this after my daughter told me a quote she thought was pretty smart and which I immediately liked as well:

"No matter how thin you slice it, there will always be two sides."

- Jewish Philosopher, Baruch Spinoza

I think of the two sides in terms of peoples opinions.

And it's true, no matter how thin you cut the differences, there will always be at least two views about it--usually more! 

It doesn't make it easy to get to consensus, but I guess we all have to give a little. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal, excuse the glare)
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January 26, 2013

A Falafel A Day


Peace comes in many shapes and sizes--peace talks, peace negotiations, peace treaties, and now even peace trucks.

Reminiscent of the peace marches and brightly painted VW peace vans of the 1970's, The Washington Post (26 January 2013) reports on a 76-year old retired Energy Department staffer with a PhD in mechanical engineering who for his second career is starting a peace food truck in DC.

The food truck will have two windows for selling kosher food from one and for selling halal food from the other. 

The owner-activist who is an Egyptian American hopes that "it will bring people from different backgrounds, who are waiting on line, to talk together."

He says: "I think it will work because, well, everyone likes food," and he hopes to fund additional food trucks in Chicago, New York, Israel, and the West Bank. 

The truck has both the Jewish Star of David and Islamic Crescent painted on it--it is truly a truck for representing diversity of people, but with a common taste in good Mediterranean food.

It's amazing what a falafel can do--perhaps, even help bring peace and security to the Middle East.   ;-)

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Shoshanah)

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