Perhaps the key to healing America’s political division could simply begin with having a familiarity with the person on one’s own doorstep? There is mounting evidence across America to support that what is necessary to overcome polarization is unlikely to be discovered within broader changes to our institutions but is to be accomplished through efforts to connect with people.
In Richmond, New Hampshire, winter’s needs are only too familiar behind the snowdrifts. For several winters, Tom Tague cut his own firewood. It wasn’t until he received a pacemaker that he became a recipient of assistance, which, he reports, was something of an adjustment. It was members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who reached out, including 20-year-old Peter Brown, who had once experienced deep loneliness. Brown on the service: “It makes me feel like I’m valued, I’m able to help others, and I’m able to just be myself.” Research in social sciences has long confirmed that service and feeling part of something are indelibly linked.
Shaylyn Romney Garrett, the co-author with Robert Putnam of *The Upswing*, describes the problem this way: “When we don’t have that sense of belonging, our nervous system is literally on fire. We are vulnerable to extreme views and to extreme behaviors, because we feel so unsafe.” Garrett’s research with Robert Putnam has shown that in previous times of turmoil, it wasn’t economic change but rather a “moral revival” a shift in the culture to a sense of mutual responsibility – that laid the groundwork for a national revival.
This viewpoint is in keeping with evidence from “Habits of Heart and Mind,” a report from The American Academy of Arts & Sciences, which emphasizes that mutual aid, sharing joys, and service undergird a healthy culture. Such activities, usually fostered through local organizations, schools, or places of faith, build a sense of connection that goes beyond ideological categorization. Such activities also work against the isolation that, according to Garrett, makes one more vulnerable to viewing another as less than fully human because of one’s divergent beliefs.
But there is a need for this connection. More in Common’s research reveals that most Americans are eager to transcend racial, religious, political, and economic divides, but many feel that they don’t have access to these connections or that they don’t feel confident enough to make these connections. “The future of building bridges needs a focus on defining a human problem, not a political problem,” writes social psychologist Linda Tropp. This entails focusing on “social infrastructure,” like public libraries, public parks, community centers, which enable people to be in physical proximity to each other.
In Brattleboro, Vermont, the impact of these networks can be seen in the life of Carol Buffum. After isolating herself for numerous years owing to a bout of staph infection that changed her looks, she found acceptance with women’s group members. Today, she wants to establish a conversation circle at her apartment building’s community room. “If we don’t do something, it’s not going to get better,” she says. Indeed, change sometimes starts with individuals taking action for others around them.
Grassroots models of civic participation reflect this paradigm. Projects like the Civic Collaboratory and CoGenerate do service in tandem with relationship-building, whereas programs like the Better Arguments Project are focused on teaching people effective communication. This reflects principles laid out in “Healthy Places by Design” concerning effective community strategies: activating public spaces for inclusivity, encouraging community-driven solutions, and finding common ground in social connections.
The benefits go beyond just easing political tensions. Communities with closer bonds have been associated with benefits such as improved mental and physical health and safety. Resilience during disaster situations is also attributed to communities with tight bonds. Additionally, they promote collaboration in climate change and local economy growth. Notably, Garrett stresses that crossing the divide may not necessitate engaging in debates with political opposites. Indeed, engaging in common human needs like chopping wood, preparing health kits, or arranging community events may be more successful in altering hearts than altering minds in a debate setting.
This is in sync with research on psychology finding a common goal and perspective-taking more effective in prejudice reduction than debate. “As our nation honors its 249th birthday later this year,” Cornelia Butt Yoder writes, “the lessons from our history could not be clearer: that to revitalize our civic life, to turn back divisiveness and pettiness and me-first and self-aggrandizing politics and policies and practices, we can begin by focusing on small acts of civic and social good to make our daily lives more meaningful and to make our society more inclusive and more fair and more kind – and these actions add up to make all the difference for America and for Americans — and for all who call America their home.”
