How Weird Friends Change the World

In this talk, John Paul Lederach discusses peacebuilding and creating friendships across ideological divides and differences. “Change seemed to happen not so much because I had accumulated some brilliant expertise…in the end change seemed to happen over and again because people felt befriended.” He suggests that we cultivate friendships with people who are different from us, and who are considered outside of our cultural and political bubbles. “I wonder if maybe we need a few more folks willing to try a hand at building the light that holds things together. We might call it the plan to rehumanize America.”