Dear Dartmouth,
This winter, the Student Wellness Center invites you to explore ways to intentionally bridge divides and to examine how consciously focusing on reaching across differences can enhance both our individual and collective wellbeing. This task, though lofty, can help us tap into our shared connectedness and promote a climate of belonging here on Dartmouth’s campus.
What does it mean to intentionally engage with people or groups of people who hold different perspectives, values, or identities than ourselves? Intention means that the decisions we make align with our core values, beliefs, and needs. The decision to reach across differences must come from an authentic place within us and intersect with our values, and thus must derive from understanding how our individual wellbeing benefits from such an undertaking.
- Empathize to build personal resilience. Empathy, the ability to cultivate non-judgment and compassion, lies at the heart of connection. When we practice empathizing with others who share experiences outside our own (not passively/resignedly accepting different worldviews but acknowledging their reality with greater clarity), we challenge our own assumptions, encourage critical thinking, and build the strength it takes to see situations from different angles. This in turn can help us add innovative resources to our toolkit that enable us to face new and emerging challenges in our personal lives with confidence.
- Bring greater clarity to stressful societal conflicts. Polarizing politics and conflicts at home and abroad can have real and devastating impacts to our individual mental health. Personal stress around these events can be reduced when we practice cultivating empathy. We may even be able to comprehend our deep connectedness on the basis of our common humanity (and suffering), in spite of vastly differing views. Try this “Just Like Me” practice to tap into the interconnectedness we share with all human beings.
On the collective scale, our ability to address sharp societal challenges relies on how well we engage with worldviews that differ from our own. Particularly around the understanding and discussing of such viewpoints. Such endeavors, while understandably difficult, stand to benefit us all. When we reach across differences, we can build stronger, more innovative communities. We can reduce isolating certain groups or individuals, and promote more opportunities for belonging and connectedness. Dartmouth Dialogues, one of President Sian Beilock’s five key areas of focus, represents one way that our institution is committing to bridging personal and political divides.
It has never been a more critical time for us to recognize the challenges that our community (and world) face when we remain unwilling to engage with differing perspectives and experiences. Similarly, it has never been more important to realize how surmountable these challenges can be and how they stand to benefit our holistic sense of well being. Through intentionality, we can identify the steps to take that help us connect authentically with others and contribute to a more inclusive community. When we reach across differences together, we commit to building upon our shared humanity for the sake of our common benefit.