Take “the Other” to Lunch

January 21, 2011

Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. - Rumi

Reading the blurb about this TED.com Talk by Elisabeth Lesser, my first inclination was to skip the presentation and move on, but something urged me to click the Play button. Within her first few sentences Lesser had my full attention. The eleven minutes and eight seconds are so worth it!

"For more than three decades, Elizabeth Lesser has worked with leading figures in the field of healing self and society. For the past ten years, [she] has spearheaded Omega [Institute]’s popular Women and Power conferences, renowned gatherings featuring women leaders, authors, activists and artists from around the world." (TED.com bio)

About This Talk from TED.com:

There's an angry divisive tension in the air that threatens to make modern politics impossible. Elizabeth Lesser explores the two sides of human nature within us (call them "the mystic" and "the warrior”) that can be harnessed to elevate the way we treat each other. She shares a simple way to begin real dialogue -- by going to lunch with someone who doesn't agree with you, and asking them three questions to find out what's really in their hearts.