My mentor Richard Harwood has been advocating that people read Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue.  He suggests it is especially important for people who disagree with Mrs. Palin’s politics to read the book.  Here are Rich’s reasons:

1.  Palin is a political phenomenon and I want to understand what she has to say;

2.  More importantly, she is giving voice to a segment of America that yearns to be heard – I want to know what Palin is speaking to;

3.  Finally, Palin is not a bigot, hate-monger, or racist – if she were, we might decide to condemn her, possibly isolate her. But, instead, I believe in this society – especially now, when so many things are at loggerheads – we must see and hear all points of view, especially when we might not agree with them.

Rich took his own advice (I haven’t yet) and read Going Rogue over the Thanksgiving holiday.  In Rich’s review of the book, he states that Mrs. Palin is proud of her heritage and life experiences.  But, he writes:

"[Mrs. Palin] seems to leave little room for others, their background, and the things they value. In the book, you get very little sense that she’s thought much about, or appreciates, the rest of America – people who live in urban Detroit, suburban New Jersey, or southern California. As I flipped through the pages, I kept wondering: Does she see and hear all Americans, or just those who subscribe to her frame of reference?"

Rich’s comments prompted me to consider: To what extent do any of us make the effort to understand the world from another person’s perspective?  In particular, do we make the effort to understand what’s important to people who have different life experience and a different frame of reference than our own?  Or, are we Americans comfortable becoming “Accidental Extremists?”  And, perhaps most important, if we do make the effort to understand people’s different needs and interests, do we do anything to act on this knowledge?

Nelson Mandela – as portrayed in the movie Invictus – is the gold standard for learning about others and acting on what he learns.  The rest of us would do well to strive to learn lessons from Mr. Mandela.

I have the good fortune to have a friend in Longmont who holds me to account for what I say and do.  When my words and deeds do not align she lets me know.  That’s a good kind of friend to have – even when it’s inconvenient or a pain.

I write a lot about community.  I sometimes, happily, pat myself on the back for holding an inclusive view of community.  My friend is a mother of a child with special needs.  She has asked me in a variety of different ways whether or not I do, in fact, see the whole community.

The truthful answer is no.  I might consider myself tolerant but, in practice, I was (perhaps still am) blissfully ignorant to the needs of children with disabilities.  For someone who serves on a school board, that’s not good enough.

I received an email from my friend not too long ago that good naturedly, but quite seriously, asked me to consider whether I am an accidental extremist.  To steal a line from Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, “That’s a legitimate question.”

It is a good question for us all!

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John Creighton writes on community life and public leadership at johncr8on.com.  He can be found on Twitter @johncr8on and on Facebook.

Picture Credits:  Sarah Palin by Flickr user Mike Lynaugh.

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