David Ostler

FRI, JUNE 14, 2024   |  7:30-9:00 pm MDT

Explore how healing the world would come faster if we healed our own hubris, wounds, and misperceptions first.

Home of Ed and Kristen Iversen
3582 Oak Rim Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84109

Thanks to Kristen and Ed for hosting this gathering in their home.

THE CONVERSATION:

In today’s polarized climate, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless in the face of widespread contention and division. While we may not be able to single-handedly change the complex political and social forces that fuel this polarization, we do have the power to change ourselves. As human beings, we are all influenced by a complex interplay of genetics, cognitive limitations, and cultural norms that shape the way we think and interact with others. These factors can often lead us to fall into patterns of contentiousness, to view those with different beliefs as adversaries, and to minimize the experiences and perspectives of others. But just as we can learn to navigate other types of limitations, we can also learn to recognize and overcome these inborn and learned tendencies towards division. With time, effort, and the right tools, each of us can cultivate the skills and qualities of a peacemaker.

In this discussion, we’ll explore the parts of ourselves that may be contributing to contention and polarization, often without our even realizing it. We’ll also discover practical frameworks and strategies for fostering greater self-awareness, empathy, and openness to others’ perspectives – the building blocks of personal transformation and healing. When Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he wasn’t calling for a new political system or set of laws. Rather, he was inviting each of us to embark on a journey of introspection and personal growth, to look deeply within ourselves and make the changes needed to become agents of reconciliation and understanding.

ABOUT DAVID:

David B. Ostler has lived and served on four continents as a bishop, stake president, mission president, and director of a Church historical site and visitors’ center. He has a BA in quantitative methods from the University of Utah and an MBA from Dartmouth College. He retired from a thirty-year career managing domestic and international businesses focused on improving health care through data analytics, consulting, software, and business services. Married to Rachelle, they have six wonderful children, who have a wide range of different religious and political beliefs. They split their time between homes in Northern Virginia and Midway, Utah. His first book is Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question.

EXPLORE BEFORE WE MEET:

Suggestions from David:

• “Difference and Dignity” Newsroom, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/difference-and-dignity This press release affirms that all deserve dignity and that diversity is essential in pluralistic societies
• “Foundations and Fruits of Religious Freedoms”, Elder Ulisses Soares, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-soares-foundations-fruits-religious-freedom This article is a defense of religious freedoms, but outlines the essential belief that everyone, even those who believe different deserve dignity and respect. It forcefully argues for respect and reciprocity.
• “Our Culture of Contempt”, by Arthur Brooks, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/opinion/sunday/political-polarization.html. In this article, Brooks discusses contempt and how it contributes to “otherizing” those we disagree with.
• “I Can Tolerate Anything Except the Outgroup” by Scott Alexander, https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anything-except-the-outgroup/ This article, discusses the human tendency to be more forgiving of the flaws and extremism within our own groups while being highly critical of the outgroup. This article helps us reflect on our own biases and the need for consistent empathy and charity towards those we disagree with.
• “What Is the Dunning-Kruger Effect? A cognitive bias that causes an overestimation of capability by Kendra Cherry, https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740 This article describes the competency bias of why we think we know more than we actual do. Useful to help us understand the limits of our understanding.
• “A Proposed Common Framework of Belief-Consistent Information Processing for a Set of Biases” by Aileen Oeberst, Roland Imhoff. Can be found outside of the paywall here: https://andrewclark.co.uk/papers-for-product-managers/a-proposed-common-framework-of-belief-consistent-information-processing-for-a-set-of-biases A scholarly and somewhat technical description of the different types of cognitive bias

Suggestions from Jay:

David Ostler’s book: Healing Our Divides: Answering the Savior’s Call to Be Peacemakers​

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE RECORDED ZOOM CONVERSATION

• Click on the Zoom link above for either last month’s recorded conversation (if the event date has passed) or the live conversation now. If you are participating in the live conversation keep reading.
• When you are connected you will either be waiting in a lobby and will let be in shortly or you will immediately be able to see other participants. Please make sure that you are muted and that your video is on if you choose to have it on. (Love to see and hear you live, but we’ll take curious lurkers also.)
• If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. OR maybe the problem is on my end so please let me know if it is.

ZOOM ETIQUETTE: 

• Please mute your microphone before entering and when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else.
• If you are going to multitask—not recommended—or wander around a lot, please turn off your video and make sure you are muted. No one wants to be distracted by you eating or using the loo.