.
ARE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF OUR
PERSONALITIES.
TYPICALLY THEY WORK BEHIND
THE SCENES, BUT THERE WILL BE
TIMES THAT WE NEED TO STAND UP
FOR THESE BELIEFS AND VALUES,
HAVING THE SKILLS TO DO THIS IN
A NONCONFRONTATIONAL WAY CAN
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN HAVING
YOUR PERSPECTIVE HEARD.
JOINING US NOW IS MICHAEL
WALKER, A PH.D.
STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA IT TALK ABOUT
PERSPECTIVE AND THOSE
STRATEGIES.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
THIS IS A TOUGH ONE,
ESPECIALLY AS WE ARE COMING
INTO THE HOLIDAYS, AND MAKING
DECISIONS, NOW AROUND THESE
TIMES.
YOU SAY START BY KNOWING AND
UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU BELIEVE?
FOR SURE THAT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT AND JUST KIND OF AS A
BACK-UP, I WANT TO MAKE SURE,
LAST TIME I WAS ON, WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT HAVING THOSE
POLITICAL CONVERSATIONS.
AND IN SOME WAYS, IT MAY HAVE
SOUNDED LIKE I WAS SAYING NOT
TO STAND UP FOR BELIEFS.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE I CAME BACK
WITH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WE
HAVE TO KNOW WHAT WE VALUE SO
WE CAN STAN UP FOR THOSE VALUES
AND BELIEFS.
WRITE DOWN WHAT YOUR VALUES ARE
AND MAYBE PUT THEM IN A LIST
ONE THING WE HAVE DONE WITH
STUDENTS IN THE PAST IS WE HAVE
CREATED THIS LIKE NCAA BRACKET
OF VALUES STUDENTS SLATE WHICH
VALUE WORKS FOR THEM.
THAT IS REALLY COOL.
AN INTERESTING IDEA.
I WORRY SOMETIMES, THAT PEOPLE
AREN'T PRESERVING THEIR OWN
ENERGY BY FIGHTING ON EVERY ONE
OF THESE VALUES THAT ARE
IMPORTANT THEM.
WE ALL HAVE DOZENS OF THINGS
THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US.
BUT YOU CAN'T STEP UP AND FIGHT
ON EVERYTHING, CAN YOU?
CORRECT.
I MEAN, WE HAVE TO CHOOSE OR
BATTLES, RIGHT?
TO MAKE SURE IT IS SOMETHING
THAT IS WORTH OUR TIME.
ONE OF THE HIP HOP GREATS, JAY
Z USES A TERM IN ONE OF HIS
SONG.
A WISE MAN TOLD ME NEVER ARGUE
FROM A DISTANCE CAN'T TELL WHO
IS WHO.
BE MINDFUL OF WHO YOU ARE
ARGUING WITH AND MAKE SURE IT
RANKS UP THERE FOR YOU TO
IF IT DOES RANK UP THERE FOR
YOU, TAKE ACTION AND DO
SOMETHING, IF IT IS THAT
IMPORTANT?
FOR SURE.
THIS IS NOT A TIME TO BE
NEUTRAL.
UP FOR YOUR BELIEFS AND VALUES
AND NOW, WHEN WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT STANDING UP, IT IS NOT
ABOUT ATTACKING PEOPLE OTHER
PEOPLE'S BELIEFS AND VALUES, IT
IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT YOU
ARE UNDERSTANDING WHERE YOU
STAND AND WHAT YOUR VALUES ARE.
AT THE SAME TIME YOU CAN
CRITIQUE OTHER FOLKS'S VALUES
AS WELL.
I GUESS PART OF THE
QUESTIONING HERE IS WHAT IS
YOUR GOAL, RIGHT?
BELIEVE ME.
LOOKING AT LIKE MY RESPONSES ON
TWITTER MOST OF THE TIME,
PEOPLE ARE NOT TRYING TO CHANGE
ANYONE'S MIND.
THEY ARE NOT TRYING TO ENGAGE.
THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO EXPRESS
THEIR VIEWS.
SO IT IS NOT REALLY A PROCESS.
IT IS MORE OF A DECLARATION.
AND THAT IS FINE, TOO, RIGHT?
IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO,
GREAT?
BUT YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT
WHAT YOUR GOAL IS RIGHT?
FOR SURE.
YOU DEFINITELY HAVE A GOAL IN
MIND.
YOU HAVE WITH THIS PERSON, IS
IT SOMEONE YOU COMMUNICATE WITH
OFTEN OR IS IT SOMEONE OUT
THERE IN TWITTER UNIVERSE OR
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU WANT TO
PUT INTO THAT?
EVERYONE HAS LIFE EXPERIENCES
AND THOSE SHAPE YOUR BELIEFS
AND VALUES.
MY VALUES ARE VALID BUT SO ARE
IT IS HARD TO DO THAT
THOUGH, IF YOU FEEL STRONGLY
ABOUT SOMETHING TO SORT OF
RESPECT AND UNDERSTAND WHERE
THAT OTHER PERSON IS COMING
FROM.
IT DEFINITELY CAN BE HARD.
TIMES THAT YOU JUST DISAGREE
WITH FOLKS ON SOME OF YOUR
VALUES AND SOME OF YOUR
STANCES.
THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU
CAN'T STILL BE A RELATIONSHIP
WITH THEM, BUT YOU KNOW ON
CERTAIN THINGS YOU DON'T AGREE
ON.
AND THAT IS FINE.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING I TRY TO
LIVE WITH AS A FINAL THOUGHT
FOR THIS SEGMENT IS THAT MY JOB
IS NOT TO TRY TO CHANGE
I'LL LET THE UNIVERSE DEAL WITH
THAT.
I'M JUST GOING TO STAND FOR
WHAT I BELIEVE IN AND GO FROM
THERE.
IT IS IMPORTANT, RIGHT?
SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO
STAND UP AND THERE IS NO OTHER
THERE IS NO CHANGING OF
SOMEONE'S MINDS.
IT IS IMPORTANT.
YEAH.
JUST GOT TO HOLD YOUR GROUND
AND SHARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND
WHAT YOU THINK AND THAT IS
THAT.
SITUATION.
IT IS MORE ABOUT UNDERSTANDING.
MICHAEL WALKER, THANK YOU SO
MUCH, WE APPRECIATE IT.
A BOOM OF OWL SIGHTINGS IN