One of the threads that began A Selfless Art was an insistent question: What is the value of my work if it does not welcome people who reject its values?
It is a complex challenge that opens other lines of thought, some of which are (currently) blocked, while others seem to be more fruitful. Either way, the question is critical in a world whose divisions are being deliberately and dangerously fuelled. Unless I can find—or create—space where people who do not already agree with one another feel comfortable, there is little co-creation can do but reinforce us in our existing positions. The purpose of the new book (which is progressing very slowly) is to describe that space and the processes through which it might emerge and be protected, but I’m well aware it is likely to be an ideal that we work towards rather than a readily-adoptable practice.
The need, and the possibility, resonated for me as I listened in the sleepless early hours to speeches made at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago by Michelle Obama, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Many other speakers have been insightful or moving, but they set a standard of truth, courage and integrity. In this passage, for example, Barack Obama recognises as few politicians now do, the legitimacy of his opponents’ views:
That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message. Our politics have become so polarized these days that all of us across the political spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue. […] To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices. And that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns and maybe learn something in the process.
Mutual respect. That is a good starting point for finding solutions to our problems, which is not the same thing as what divides us. Global climate change is a problem: how we assign responsibility for it is an opinion. And we should be wary of those who encourage us to argue about the second because it distracts us from making changes that might address the first.
Our opinions are much less necessary to working together than we think, as I learned through community heritage work in the post-war Balkans. Social media has seduced us into believing not only that our opinions matter but that they are cornerstone of our identity. Actually, they seem more like clothes we put on to signal our identification with one or other social tribe, which is why, in some circumstances, people seem to switch easily between incompatible political or moral beliefs. We are so much more than our opinions, and if we can find ways to leave them in the cloakroom and meet on other ground, we might, as Barack Obama suggests, actually learn something.
I would be foolish to pretend that this is easy, or simple. It takes self-awareness, courage and humility – all of which I heard in what Michelle Obama, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey had to say. Looking for those qualities in those who claim our attention, and our support, might be a good way to test which voices deserve to be listened to.
When a house is on fire, we do not ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We do not wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No. We just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady — we try to get the cat out, too.
François Matarasso 
Response to “How can I work with those who (believe) they oppose me?”
Thank you for this text, François. It’s ever more urgent to reflect on these issues and dilemmas. I believe that disagreeing with someone and not sharing values (values that one considers fundamental) is not the same thing. More and more people tend to see these two aspects as if they were the same, using the argument of the “need for dialogue” despite what one says their fundamental values are – and against these. Not every dialogue is necessary or or needed or normal.
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