Coming to the End – – A Word of Thanks
All good thing come to an end, they say. Harry Strong’s series on biases is one of them. Thank you, my old friend, for introducing us to Brian McLaren’s framework and the building blocks of a more honest, compassionate, and useful way to identify and seek understanding of our own biases and the those biases of relatives, friends, and, “dare I say it?,” threats and enemies. Harry’s series led me to reflect on belly-buttons. Every human being has a belly-button! — Gordon
“People can’t see what they can’t see.”Brian mclaren
Quick Review. Brian D. McLaren has identified thirteen (13) Biases which partially explain why we see thing so differently from one another: Confirmation Bias; Complexity Bias; Community Bias; Complementarity Bias; Competency Bias; Consciousness Bias; Comfort or Complacency Bias; Conservative/Liberal Bias; and Confidence Bias; Catastrophic or Normalcy Bias; Contact Bias; Ca$h Bia$; and Conspiracy Bias.  All of these can dramatically impact our views of life and the world.
An Email from Mitch
As our Blind Bias “class” draws to a close I’d like to share with you an email I received recently from my friend, Mitch. He wrote this:
“I am at a loss as to how to bridge the gap to a better understanding between myself (and MY strongly held political positions) and my friends (and THEIR strongly held political positions) when our positions on critical issues are at such opposite poles of the political spectrum. I am finding it is putting a real cramp on what used to be casual and friendly conversations among us. I AM SURE my opinions are right. But when I come down off of that perch of righteousness – I have to concede that JUST MAYBE if I learn to be a better listener JUST PERHAPS my friend is not my enemy – but an ally. If we work TOGETHER (the hard part indeed) we can identify how to move forward in ways that promote understanding of the importance of each person’s position to each individual yet the need to accommodate at least a little bit of the other person’s position so the greater good is achieved. My challenge is I am not yet that person and I would welcome learning how to become better at achieving that goal.”email from Mitch
Frankly, it was Mitch’s honest and vulnerable testimony that motivated me to read Brian McLaren’s e-book. 
As Brian McLaren shifts our attention from Recognizing Biases to Overcoming Biases, he offers this disclaimer regarding the above quotation which introduced each of the first three “classes” we’ve shared together: “When I said earlier ‘People can’t see what they can’t see …,’ I was telling the truth, but not the whole truth. Here’s how that sentence should be completed to be more fair and full: ‘People can’t see what they can’t see unless someone helps them see it.’” To that end, McLaren offers the following recommendations:
Five Ways We Can Help Others to See What They Can’t See
SURPRISE PEOPLE WITH WHO YOU ARE. Show kindness, empathy, curiosity, fairness, acceptance, patience, decency, boldness, and humility. Put understanding and acceptance before agreement, making it safe for people to confront their biases. Tell stories about times when you failed to face your biases and misconceptions. Demonstrate fairness by admitting (and addressing) the downsides of your position and the upsides (as well as the downsides) of other positions. Seek to win friends instead of arguments, since people would rather learn from friends than critics, opponents, or enemies. People will not believe your message until they find you, the messenger, believable. In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do. — Stephen Covey
SHOW BEFORE YOU TELL. Use experiential learning (field trips, introductions to “the other,” immersive artistic experiences, simulations, demonstrations, learning games, etc.) whenever possible, helping people step into the shoes of others and see from new vantage points, and following up the experience with honest reflection and conversation.
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND DOABLE. Whenever possible, find one simple point of agreement or make one simple proposal for consideration or offer one simple, doable, immediate step that can be taken in the right direction, followed by questions and conversation.
CONNECT EMOTIONALLY. If a person is afraid or angry, don’t shame them or tell them not to feel as they do. Instead, try to understand their emotion, and then convey, with emotion, that you can see why they feel as they do.
EXPECT THIS TO BE HARD. Remember that the human brain is structured for safety, efficiency, ease, and comfort, so biases are working against accepting messages that are perceived as unfamiliar, complicated, dangerous, inconvenient, or uncomfortable. Don’t expect people to be other than human. Show patience and persistence. And take advantage of research to help you learn what is most likely to work. 
Where Do We Go From Here?
So, deep breath! Are we willing to move beyond appreciating McLaren’s analysis of our Biases to the more important and challenging phase of trying to make some changes in our own lives and the lives of others? That is the $64,000 question, isn’t it? What is our next step? I guess we’ll each have to answer that question for ourselves.
I’ll tell you my next steps. First, I’m going to send a copy of Why Don’t They Get It? Overcoming Bias in Others (and Yourself) to Mitch for a Thanksgiving present. Second, I’m going to invite my neighbor, Larry, over to the house for an adult beverage. (Some of you will recall Larry from my Blind Bias 2 post. Remember, Larry told me: “I’m not biased or prejudiced about anything. I have my opinions and my perspectives, but I try to be as objective as possible about everything.”) I’ll tell Larry about how hard it was for me to overcome the racism implanted in me as a child by my Uncle Herb who lived on Chicago’s south side and every Thanksgiving would rail against the encroaching “African Americans” (not Uncle Herb’s words) who were destroying the value of his home. I’ll ask Larry if he ever had to unlearn anything. I’ll listen. Then, Larry may need a second drink, because next I’m giving him a copy of McLaren’s book as well. Baby steps, I know. I pledge to continue “working the program.”
Thanks so very much for the privilege of your company during our time with Brian McLaren.
Whatever your next steps, may they be grounded in listening, leveling, and loving. Harry