"Common Air, Common Ground"

When Leob states, "The more we listen to those whos experiences and perspectives are unfamiliar, the more we realize what draws us together," I think he means we must speak to other people who share different views in order to understand the "common ground" we share.

In the story of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, three grougs came together because they realized their families not only shared litteraly the air and the ground, but they shared other similar opinions on various issues as well. Because the members of the UJO, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans all came together, they not only were good role models to their children, but they were protecting the earth they had to share as well. From there, they were able to work together on other issues they shared, all by finding their common ground.

Personally, I love this story and wish I could do it more often. Although I do listen to people who may have different perspectives or views than I do, I sometimes find my self automatically thinking of all the negatives (in my opinion) of their side of the story. It's something I'm working on and I'm sure something many people struggle with. As I'm finding and growing my spiritual self, this struggle is slowing disappearing. Yet, reading this chapter I have found how important it is to have this spiritual self, because without it, "we're left disconnected and mistrusting" (pg. 227). Putting yourself in situations where you may not share similar ideas is often refreshing and hopefully something our society can work towards. By understanding other people, we are likely to solve many problems, but the first step is putting ourselves in an awkward situation. Working towards a goal that is all for the common good.