Living Room Conversations

by Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, Washington, DC sculptor. Reprinted from The Huffington Post. Sex, religion and money. These used to be the subjects to avoid. Now, it is politics. Co-workers, friends, even families are torn asunder by the presidential campaign. Emotions flood the field of rational discourse. In our search for conversational high ground, we find refuge in discussing […]

by Linda Taylor, reprinted from the Huffington Post. We’ve just heard that Jesus and the disciples were turned away from a Samaritan village where they may have expected to be welcomed. The disciples asked Jesus if they should command heaven to rain down fire to consume the village, and he rebuked them. That’s a really nice

by Veronica Chin, reprinted from the Huffington Post. I always considered myself a pacifist, or at least not an agitator. But thanks to a Living Room Conversation I participated in a few months ago, I’ve come to realize I am not as virtuous as I had thought, especially not when it comes to political conversations. My

by Jacob Z. Hess, Partner, Living Room Conversations. Reprinted from the Huffington Post Credit: Bonch Gurevich It used to be that friends and acquaintances were mystified at my interest in liberal-conservative dialogue – “why would you spend time on THAT?!…Whatever floats your boat, I guess.” Not anymore. America is having a rude awakening about the value of

by Katie Page. Reprinted from The Huffington Post I am angry. The events of past weeks, months and yes, years angers me. It is centuries of violence and hate. I hear stories, I watch videos, and there is no sense to it. There is a cacophony of accusation, blame, justification and glorification. I must make my

by Jacob Z. Hess, Partner, Living Room Conversations. Reprinted from The Huffington Post It’s been a rough month in America. From Orlando to Dallas, from Louisiana to Minnesota, the bloodshed has been startling. Rather than wondering if it will happen again, we’ve gotten used to simply asking: where next? Meanwhile, some eloquent things are being written about how to come

by Mary Gaylord. Reprinted from The Huffington Post It took me by surprise when my hippie-liberal-pacifist friend called and asked if I’d go to a shooting range with her. She’d received a coupon for a nearby facility and thought this activity might help her work through some angst she’d been feeling. In theory, I’m a pretty open-minded

The future of America’s nuclear arsenal goes beyond presidential politics. It’s a conversation that all Americans need to be a part of. by Joan Blades. Reprinted from the Christian Science Monitor The generation that first built and deployed nuclear weapons has left us with the enormous responsibility of keeping humanity safe from their unparalleled destructive force. No

by Mary Gaylord. Reprinted from The Daily Camera. Last week I went out with three girlfriends to enjoy some beer at a local brewpub. One woman I know quite well, the other casually, and the third woman was someone I was meeting for the first time. We all have kids — which is how we are

The outgoing AG makes a huge play to reform our scandalous asset forfeiture laws. But even so, it’s just a start. Congress needs to act. by Joan Blades and Matt Kibbe. Reprinted from The Daily Beast. Most Americans now agree that the war on drugs is a failure. Illegal drug use has not decreased, prisons are