Last week we had the privilege of another session with the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building’s Fellowship Program with insightful contributions from world class speakers once again. Sometimes you must pinch yourself to realise how fortunate you are to have the honour of being in the presence of these people.
In the stripped back industrial setting of a boardroom in the Titanic Hotel Belfast we listened to Professor Mike Hardy, Chair and Board Director of the International Leadership Association, talk about the power of positive peace and making ourselves more comfortable with others. The speakers explored the ideals for a better society and changes required to get there. It was always my thought – from a place of neutrality – to think that all of this was easy to implement, and I could always envision an easy route towards greatness within society. This was a thought mirrored by many of the civic and business leaders within the Fellowship Program at the end of the session.
But something struck me during a question raised by a Fellow. I realised that there was a very real struggle to see how the solutions suggested by our speakers could be easily implemented within NI due to the fundamental lack of trust between the dividing lines in our political world. This is something that I have disregarded in the past and wrongly so, as I could now grasp those feelings with active listening or “listening, hearing and reflecting” as Owen Brennan (Executive Chairman, Devenish) put it so brilliantly. I could see how working as one was so clouded with both of the main denominations in NI clearly looking to achieve two opposing outcomes, obscuring the ideals and proposals for change to improve our society. It was as if another divisional line was drawn into the mix between those who believe that raw emotion and feelings of others can be ignored, and that we can push on without them. I conversely, would often try and dismiss what was relayed from both unionist/loyalist and nationalist/republican communities as I felt that I was working towards the greater good, and that these notional divisions were holding us back. That may be the case in some respects. However, without their support in forging a common goal ultimately any success runs the risk of failure very shortly after. To make NI great we need to bring everyone along with us rather than go to the middle ground and expect them to join us. This is where I feel the Fellowship has struck gold by putting all these differing minds, not just political but civic and business minds in a room with each other. It helps us understand more of the core issues and feelings as we look to build a better and more inclusive society. These types of projects will certainly help to shape that better.
Whether you choose to ignore it or not NI is built on a constitutional question. For some it’s a carrot or a stick with promises within the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement of a border poll that you must always work towards and for others it’s a grand piano hanging over the edge of a tall building that you must avoid at all costs.
The question left mulling in my head after reflection is how do we create a goal or a target in the middle? A goal that we can all trust each other to work towards and one that won’t ultimately damage the ideology or long-term goals of the individual denominations?
Brian Donaldson
