10/28/2024

My dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

Have you heard of Ozcan Varol (OV), “rocket scientist” turned best-selling author? I encountered his writing when querying, “what changes people’s minds?” I keep asking myself that question after seeing 45’s fans in my neighborhood & imagining the conversation I might have with them. My beliefs about seeing that of God in everyone compel me to connect with them, but I am still not sure how to go about it.

OV’s post “Facts Don't Change People's Minds. Here's What Does” says, “ humans operate on different frequencies. If someone disagrees with you, it’s not because they’re wrong, & you’re right. It’s because they believe something that you don’t believe. The challenge is to figure out what that thing is & adjust your frequency.”

That makes sense but I am stuck on what my opening line should be the next time I encounter a 45 fan. Yesterday, the Friends at Quaker Meeting nixed my thought to start with “Are you a Christian?” They said it was too aggressive.

The trick is to find a beginning line that does not invite an argument & makes it clear that I am not trying to persuade them, rather I just want to connect with them. Maybe I should revisit Daryl Davis’ webinar to refresh my memory about how he starts his conversations with the KKK folks.

Thanks for taking the time to check in the Hurricane Helene (HH) rescue people today. The NYT ran a piece today about the challenges of getting care to chronically ill folks in NC. They had insufficient access to health care before HH, now things are even worse, so people are desperate. Please see what you can do.

The same situation holds in Burma. Please see what you can do about that, too.

Have fun at your Diwali celebration. May light triumph over darkness, good over evil, & knowledge over ignorance!

BYBS,