“Once you have dialogue starting, you know you can break down prejudice.”
Harvey Milk
“Dialogue is a conversation between two individuals, in agreement or disagreement, who come together to share an expression of self and ideas,” junior Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy major Alexander Jasukaitis explained to me. He believes communicating opposing viewpoints, in a respectful manner, could make a difference in the way we view politics.
“Everything is so polarized all the time,” Jasukaitis stated, “It’s harming more people than bringing them together.”
Alex, an aspiring civil lawyer, identifies rational dialogue as the catalyst for change. He feels it takes a mature and conscious individual to try and understand another’s point of view rather than attack them on a personal level.
Fundamentally, it is important to understand, individuals we potentially verbally attack are our neighbors, our friends, our community. Thus, Jasukaitis communicates, as we began to foster a dialogue regarding difficult matters, we must remember to attack ideas not people.
These people are authentic, equipped with sentiments and experiences unlike our own, contributing to their dissimilar views. This unfortunately means, at times, we may have to accept the fact that we aren’t going to change the mind of everyone. Although this is a difficult pill to swallow, having an open dialogue will put us on the path of mutually respecting one another.
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“I try to have conversations with people who have different experiences than me,” Jasukaitis stated. His passion for assisting others and gaining knowledge of diverse perspectives, drives him to continue facilitating tough conversations.
“One-on-one dialogue is the best form of communication, because you can actually share how you really feel,” he insisted.
Jasukaitis has noticed many find it difficult to express their true opinions in a group setting. “Everyone’s always going to be concerned with their status and reputation,” he expounded. Therefore, Alex finds it beneficial to facilitate dialogue with someone individually in order to effectively express and interpret opposing points of view.
Jasukaitis take pride in readily engaging in challenging discussions. Nowadays, so few are willing to do so. Few are willing to momentarily set aside their differences and conduct a meaningful conversation. Jasukaitis promises to continue accepting this challenge, because he knows he is the face of DIALOGUE.
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