The Power of Listening

September 22, 2011

The power of listening and how it can help sustain a healthy society will be discussed at the Martin Institute's new Center for Interdisciplinary Studies inaugural event on Wednesday, October 5. The panel discussion, titled "The Experience of Narrative in Personal Transformation: The Role of Deep Listening in Responsible Discourse and Societal Change," will run from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Martin Auditorium and will be free and open to the public.

The event will feature Zella Brown and Gertrud Kauderer, founders of the organization One by One, Inc., a Jewish/German dialogue group that seeks to transcend the legacies of genocide through compassionately listening to each other's stories. In their discussion, the two will explore the implications of this method on public discourse today.

The daughter of Nazi concentration camp survivors, Brown will be a part of the Compassionate Listening project in Germany in 2012, an on-going effort aimed at teaching heart-based skills for peace building and reconciliation in families, communities, on the job, and in the world.

Kauderer is the daughter of a man who joined the Nazi party in 1929. She is an active member of Interhelp, and international network of people committed to the task of individual transformation.

An introduction will be given by former U.S. Senator Paul Kirk, and Ruth Henderson, the Center's first Fellow, who has organized the inaugural event, will act as moderator. She currently teaches the interdisciplinary studies courses "The Experience of Narrative" and "The Nature of Forgiveness: Psychological, Sociological and Spiritual Perspectives" at Stonehill.

Contact

For more information, contact Communications and Media Relations at 508-565-1321.