Wednesday, September 1, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Understanding each other
By Mitchell Luftig
Correspondent
Judging by recent letters to the
editor in The Nugget, some resi-
dents of Sisters Country who have
been vaccinated against COVID-
19 are running out of patience with
those who resist vaccination and
mandates to wear masks in public
spaces, such as our local schools.
But as Jonathan Haidt said in
an interview in The Atlantic about
the nature of political disagree-
ments, <Does anyone really think
we are going to win people over by
insulting them and spouting hatred
toward them? Or are we going to
win them over by listening, one
on one, as individuals, human to
human, American to American?=
In his book, <Righteous Minds:
Why Good People Are Divided by
Politics and Religion,= Haidt offers
insights that may help us to under-
stand those on the other side of the
vaccination/mask debate.
He offers us the metaphor of an
elephant and its rider:
The elephant represents the
intuitive processes we use to make
most of our decisions, propelling
us toward people, experiences, and
resources that will benefit us and
away from those that might cause
us harm.
The rider9s job is to seek out
information that confirms the
elephant9s intuition and to use
this information to justify the ele-
phant9s actions.
Some people9s intuition (and
certainly the intuition of those who
run in their herd) is that the vac-
cines against COVID-19 have dan-
gerous side effects and so taking
them is not safe. Similar intuitions
may apply to wearing masks.
In support of their original intu-
ition they offer up research from
<experts= who cast doubt on the
effectiveness/safety of the vaccines
and masking.
Because intuition (the elephant)
led them to their stance on vaccina-
tion and masks, appeals to reason
will not prove effective, no matter
how many studies we try to show
them or experts we cite.
Only by listening, striving to
understand how intuition guided
their thinking about vaccination
and masking, can we hope to fur-
ther any dialogue.
Evolution may help us to under-
stand why some parents at the last
school board meeting were so irate
about their children being forced to
return to school masked.
Human evolution, says
Johnathan Haidt, took place at
CLARIFICATION
In last weeks9 Nugget the story
about Habitat for Humanity9s annual
volunteer recognition event (August
25, page 1) incorrectly reported that
Diana Harris was in her Habitat
home for 15 years. It is 19 years.
both the level of the individual and
the level of the group. The most
fit humans survived to pass along
their genes to their descendants.
But those who tried to go it alone
often didn9t survive for long.
Individuals who banded
together for mutual defense, who
hunted, gathered food, and raised
offspring cooperatively, were more
likely to outcompete others for lim-
ited resources, thereby increasing
their chances of survival. Group
cooperation was also favored by
natural selection.
There exists an inherent tension
between the individual, focused
on their personal welfare, and the
group, whose success requires
everyone to set aside their personal
agendas (at least temporarily) and
work cooperatively for the benefit
of the group.
Getting this balance right is
critical, because communities
who fail to honor individual rights
soon lose the cooperation of their
members.
The proper exercise of power
by those in authority is so critical
to the success of a community that
according to Haidt, humans come
<pre-wired= with a moral sensitiv-
ity to authority and its potential for
abuse.
Even our early ancestors had
experience with tyrannical lead-
ers who neglected the needs of the
clan in favor of the power afforded
by their position. Clan mem-
bers would band together to oust
oppressive leaders.
When parents in our community
tell us that the balance of power
has shifted too far in favor of the
group9s welfare, depriving them of
the right to determine what9s best
for their children, we should try to
understand their concerns.
When our parents feel heard,
they will be more likely to consider
the welfare of others living in the
community, including the medi-
cally vulnerable, as they exercise
their right to make decisions about
their children9s welfare.
Understanding the world from
the perspective of our parents is the
best way to enlist their cooperation
when we ask them to send their
children to school with a positive
attitude about wearing masks (or
vaccinating against COVID-19).
We must strive to strengthen
our community by listening to all
of our voices.
Additional source: https://
w w w. t h e a t l a n t i c . c o m / i d e a s /
a rc h i v e / 2 0 2 0 / 0 5 / j o n a t h a n -
haidt-pandemic-and-americas-
polarization/612025/
Harris was not the second, but the
ninth, to pay off a Habitat mortgage
in Sisters since 1991.
Typically, Habitat funds 25- to
30-year loans, and hers was a spe-
cial circumstance having received
a grant that reduced her mortgage
term.
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