About

Hi.

What is 'I want to listen'?

'I want to listen' is a project created by Michelle Miller and dedicated to listening - as a means to engage in and further the aims of democracy. Dialogue is fundamental to democracy, and listening is at the heart of dialogue. The objective of my effort is to listen in a way that helps me understand many different perspectives, and then share these diverse perspectives. I am not seeking to promote my own views or to change anyone else's views. I want to understand the views of others, and share what I learn.

Why undertake this project now? 

To say that 2016 has been an intense year in terms of US politics alone is an understatement, and one my observations has been that we have gaps in our civic discourse. Brexit and the US election were surprises to many people. In this age of social media, how is a 'silent majority' possible? Why were so many people, pundits, pollsters and even the popular media surprised by the number of people who voted for Trump? To take this a step further, why do so many people find one another's voting choices not just unpalatable, but utterly incomprehensible? I want to understand the points on which we disagree, but I don't just want to understand the different positions. I want to understand our deeply held values, the aspects of society we're concerned about, what we want for our future, and how these lead us to our different choices. I am wondering if and where I will find common ground. I am hoping to find common ground because it is one component that helps keep the fabric of society together while allowing us to evolving how our society works - that's my bias, my hypothesis, and an outcome I desire. How do we hold hope for our society in productive and peaceful tension with the fact of our differing perspectives through deep listening and dialogue?

What am I hoping to achieve? 

I am an American living in Australia, and I am thankful to have been born in and to be living in a democracy. I don't want to take that for granted, I accept that it brings responsibility, and I am continually searching for ways to engage meaningfully and make sense of the choices available to me. I live far away from home, and yet I have never so urgently wanted to have conversations with people all across America. I want to participate in the vigorous political activity that is happening. I want to understand as many different perspectives as possible. I am keen to see us prove out the resilience of democracy while we keep tinkering with it so that it works for our evolving society. I am desperate for as many different people as possible to retain the freedoms that we enjoy as a result of this experiment called democracy: the unalienable right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

What questions will I explore? 

There are three questions that have come up for me recently.

1. How do we listen deeply to one another's perspectives? For me, this project must begin first with listening. I want to understand. If others can benefit from my understanding, that's awesome too.
2. What could be the future infrastructure for democratic dialogue? Observing how democracy is being conducted at a scale far beyond anything either the Greeks or the American 'founding fathers' ever imagined, how might we engage whole constituencies, meaningfully? Through this process, I am on the lookout for ways to listen and engage across distance and at scale. I know there are many people working with large scale participatory and democratic methods, tools and forums - and I seek to identify and share those resources. 
3. What could be the future of 'civil' disagreement? How do we keep creating ways to identify and understand our various differing perspectives - in ways that are civil, respectful, and fair? The Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, and Standing Rock (US Army Corps of Engineers announced denial of easement on the date this was written) have shown us that activism and protest are still powerful and can be buttressed by social media. What are the clues that point to how we can continue evolving these to keep them alive and well? Do we need additional models for civil, civic disagreement?

What will I do? 

• LISTEN: The first step is listening. I am seeking to conduct interviews with a variety of people in order to understand a wide range of views.
• INVITE YOU: Anyone who is interested is invited to participate. Contribute an interview, share a resource, support the sense-making process or just have a chat.
• CAPTURE, SYNTHESISE AND DOCUMENT: To my best ability, I seek to capture and fairly represent what I'm hearing and learning. Looking for patterns, insights, and common ground, I will also endeavour to make sense of (if even possible!) and synthesise what comes through in the process.
• SHARE: Through this website, conversations, and group dialogue, I will share what I'm hearing and learning. 
• KEEP YOU POSTED: Where there are events, new developments, or happenings on this project, I'll put up posts.

Credits

I would like to thank the amazing folk at frontyardprojects.org for the chance and space to start this project in residence at frontyard. I am inspired by their vision to create a strong future not just for the arts but also for our society, and I hope you'll check them out and support their work!