By Brenda Kenny
In this time of pandemic and wondering what recovery will hold, Calgary on Purpose continues to engage a diverse range of people living in this city. We are listening as small groups talk about what matters most. There’s a lot of tough stuff. There is fear and anger. But rather than division, when we start with being open and respectful, that heart of Calgary – what builds strength between us – shines through everyday.
Many groups, from communities to entrepreneurs, from Indigenous to the broadly diverse, find themselves naming values and virtues to express what matters most in our engagement together. We each have unique perspectives and experiences that lead us to a diversity of positions and judgements. However, we know that the outcomes of our society and economy depend on hearing each other and building enough trust and common ground to function. When that works well, we flourish.
We start, not with surveys but with conversations. And to support those conversations we have looked at many tried and true examples. In particular, we thank Livingroom Conversations, On Being Civil Conversations, and the Alberta Rainforest initiative.
We have put forward the following grounding virtues as our starting point. We invite you to practice these with us, and to help us refine these as a part of the Calgary on Purpose initiative – tailor made for our city, reflecting and living the spirit of where we have come from, who we are, and where we wish to go.
Honesty - Being truthful and frank, and calling out elephants in the room. Healthy and respectful disagreement is welcome and necessary to overcome crises, to grow, and to transform. We will be truly ourselves, with authenticity in every encounter.
Humility - Humility is not about getting small; it is about encouraging others to be big. We will set aside roles and “power” to engage all equally, and do our best to ensure everyone feels welcome and comfortable in sharing their views.
Respect - We welcome and respect all perspectives. Setting judgement aside opens us to learning from others and ensures we all feel respected and appreciated.
Diversity - We embrace diversity and strive to create an environment of inclusion. “Adventurous civility” recognizes that diversity is messy, and that in our world of change, this is about creating new possibility for living forward while being different and even continuing to hold profound disagreement.
Generous Listening - Real listening is powered by curiosity. It involves vulnerability and a willingness to be surprised. We bring people together and listen generously, as we gain strength from diversity and truly learning from each other.
Creativity - Being open to new possibilities and generating new ways forward is about creativity. Adding what we hear together will create something greater than the sum of its parts. Creativity takes us to new places with ingenuity and spirit.
Between us Calgarians, let’s live the virtues that make us strong and resilient for the here-and-now, and for the possibility of a flourishing future.