Long-time Austin volunteer and business mediator Erma Morrow is well versed on Divided We Fail, a broad-based national initiative to raise the voices of millions who believe that affordable quality health care and financial security are the two most important domestic issues facing Americans today.
Morrow became acquainted with Divided We Fail shortly after it was launched last year. She is part of this intergenerational coalition and agrees that bi-partisan cooperation is the key to ensuring access to affordable health care and financial security for everyone.
Like other active volunteers, she is familiar with pledge signings, story collections and town hall meetings that spread the word to Americans of all ages struggling with these issues.
AARP is conducting community conversations throughout the country, bringing groups of people to discuss these issues. These conversations are facilitated dialogues that allow AARP to convene people from all walks of life to discuss the issues, offer up solutions, and work through finding a compromise which ultimately everyone can accept.
Morrow recently accepted an invitation to one such community conversation.
Following a conversation conducted by Cliff Willis and Mark Narvaez, associate state directors for community outreach, Morrow shared her impressions with staff, “I was particularly taken with your question of what each of us would be willing to give as a trade-off to make quality, affordable health care and lifetime financial security a reality for all Americans,” she said. “Truly, it is easy to talk about change and making things better; however to make them so will require goring some sacred cows and bulls and the sooner we have these conversations, the better prepared we will be to make these hard decisions.”
Are these conversations of value to our members?
Morrow noted, “It certainly got me thinking and when I had the discussion with my husband when I returned home, we discussed some things with much more depth than we have ever done before. I plan to share some of the questions/ideas discussed in yesterday’s meeting with family and friends in the days ahead.”
The conversation was broad in scope and welcomed different ideas and perspectives. “I learned something from everyone; however, this time there were new voices in the room,” she said.
In addition to the richness that different perspectives bring to a dialogue, a successful community conversation must include some tension. Tension is helpful to get people thinking through the issues and to understand all points of view. Also, finding common ground and reaching compromises allows for a successful end to the conversation.
Morrow concluded her feedback by saying: “You asked at the end of the meeting for volunteers to take similar community discussions to the AARP chapters and other groups. I was delighted that some people from the chapters volunteered. Getting the people in the chapters involved is what will drive the progress of the issues that ‘Divided We Fail’ addresses. But then, I guess that is why we call it ‘grassroots’.”
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