I love the comment on page 96, where Off states that ‘democracies are noisy, messy, and riddled with inconsistencies. That grating sound of disagreement you hear in a pluralistic society is a demand that we acknowledge the existence of others, accept, desperate views and embrace contradictions’. It is helpful to acknowledge that there are no perfect political solutions, and I believe that striving together for the common good is what we all need. It reminds me of my work as a high school teacher, where I am constantly reminded that the teenage years are messy, and that if you don’t love the mess, you should not work with that age group…… it is only through dialogue that we can love our differences and having common language to do this with is so important in the future, I hope that there are many smart, forward-thinking people around to help counter the forces that are now driving a lot of political agendas. Embrace the mess!
Embrace the mess!