Message

LFP President Pearce Godwin has shared our message in New York City's Central Park, 
at youth leadership camps, at high school and college events and on radio. 
Invite LFP to your event!

I’m Pearce, and I've recently realized that I spend a lot of time running my mouth. I often seek to make myself heard and my opinion known and find it really challenging to listen to other people, especially folks I disagree with. So it may come as no surprise that I spent the last five years working in Washington, DC.

But since leaving DC, I've gained a new perspective and recognize how silly and harmful the rancor gripping American politics and society is. We’re all so used to it these days that sometimes we don’t step back to recognize how damaging it is to who we are as a people and a nation. The problem is pervasive. Failure to listen is harming our relationships and productivity at every level: at the kitchen table, at the office, in public, in Congress and even in international relations.

There is no part of our society that would not benefit from, be transformed by, a new commitment to listening to each other, with respect, tolerance and understanding. If we hope for a healthy, prosperous nation, we can't continue to demagogue our neighbors because they see the world differently, suggesting that not only their opinion but they themselves are somehow less. Such behavior is immature, anti-social and downright un-American.

Politics is not the central battleground between good and evil but that's how it seems. Many of us believe there are black and white issues worth fighting for, but these are the exception not the rule. There is a lot of grey area in public policy ripe for negotiation and the dirty C word, compromise. Legislating should be a more collective and bipartisan effort toward getting stuff done on behalf of us, normal folks who are so sick of the mess in government that we've just tuned out.

But by carrying the torch of division and demagoguery from Washington into our communities, we've successfully created a country of warring factions that are ripping America apart at the seams.

The good news is that we can turn this tide by doing something as simple as learning to listen to one another. And that doesn't mean being silent or passive. I'm talking about active listening. Though we all want to tell our story and share, we can learn to let another person speak first, to hear them out and ask questions about their perspective.

I think we have a moral responsibility to listen and gain an understanding of opposing positions. What good is it to hold fiercely to a stance that we've not bothered to weigh or pressure test against divergent perspectives? Too often we engage in mutual reinforcement parties with friends of like mind, falling victim to confirmation bias. Technology has helped us to tailor our information sources to the point that most of us are hearing exactly what we want to hear from people just like us without ever having our ideas questioned or challenged. So of course opposing views make no sense. We now have our own facts to go with our opinions, and that is dangerous.

What do you think would happen if we sat down with someone of a different, fresh perspective and listened, leaving as much bias and prejudice as humanly possible at the door? Now imagine if your new good practice were adopted on park benches across America, in school cafeterias, at your office and even in the halls of Congress.

We’ll still hold different, competing views, but I hope we'll be able to move beyond slander and seek common ground, with a new appreciation and respect for the other side. Sounds nice doesn't it?

In an effort to promote that transformative change in our discourse, we've launched the Listen First Project. Listen First Project seeks to facilitate greater understanding, respect and cooperation by encouraging the timeless but abandoned practice of listening to each other. We want people to listen regardless of politics, religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education or any other distinction.

Listen First Project believes that the power of listening can change the world. A highly diverse group of leaders have joined together to launch this movement and commit to making an impact on our society, one conversation at a time. Now we want you to join us.

We’re asking you to join us in making a personal pledge to fully listen to and consider another person’s views before sharing your own; to prioritize respect and understanding in conversation; and to encourage others to do the same. Can you do that? I bet you can. Imagine the impact if we all did.

LFP's message has reached over a million newspaper readers across the country and garnered a tremendously positive reaction. This very simple challenge to listen is resonating in widely diverse corners of America: students, teachers, politicians, pastors, everyday folks. One supporter noted that "LFP can be an awesome, powerful, national and international movement in the years to come."

Now, we’re asking you to take it into your community; to be part of something much bigger than any of us; to make a real difference; to join together to change the conversation and change our world. It starts with me. It starts with you. We have power to effect dramatic change by doing something so simple, basic and free, something you’re already doing right now, listening.

If the message and mission of Listen First Project speaks to you, if you want to be a part of this movement, please go to ListenFirstProject.org to sign the Pledge, join the movement and get a bumper sticker. Share your thoughts on Twitter using #ListenFirst. Share the idea with your friends; we could all use a reminder to listen. Challenge them to push outside their comfort zone, to be bold and make a difference. Maybe you can start a Listen First movement in your community.

It’s time for a new day in America folks. It is time to listen.

Meet us at ListenFirstProject.org and, together, we’ll make it happen.

Thanks for listening.