The Importance of Enduring Change in the Society

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Change at the society level comes in three forms. It either comes in changed institutions, social norms or cultural change. One example is interethnic bilangual kindergartens that were piloted during the balkans conflict. The other two are through market forces and resourcing what i might call a peace bilding within six months of my current job as head of search for common ground.

How many technologists have traveled to Niger, or the Balkans, or Rwanda, to learn the lessons of peacebuilding? Technology and social media are creating patterns and pathways of conflict that few people anticipated or even imagined just a decade ago. And we need to act quickly to contain the effects, but we don't have to reinvent the wheel. There are people, such as this episode’s guest, Shamil Idriss, CEO of the organization Search for Common Ground, who have been training for years to understand human beings and learn how to help them connect and begin healing processes. These experts can share their insights and help us figure out how to apply them to our new digital habitats. “Peace moves at the speed of trust, and trust can’t be fast-tracked,” says Shamil. Real change is possible, but as he explains, it takes patience, care, and creativity to get there.