What happens when we slow down

A call for people to slow down, to talk to each other, and to truly listen. Listening itself is a form of fasting where we sacrifice a bit of our time and effort to hear someone else’s concerns, struggles, or perspective.

I am convinced that proximity matters. And within that proximity, listening becomes critically important. In fact, I’m going to a place tonight where I know there will be different political views, different religious perspectives, and plenty of potential for disagreement. It could become combative. It could become confrontational. But I’ve discovered that if I go in prepared to listen first, I don’t have to win an argument. Instead, it becomes a healing experience.

When it comes to the Freedom Fast, we’ve described it as six days, one day each month leading up to the Fourth of July. Some have asked about the logistics: Will it be centrally coordinated through the website, or are people encouraged to do this within their local communities, churches, families, or organizations?

The answer is a little bit of both. We’re asking people to sign up or register and then to do what’s appropriate within their own community, their organization, their church, their family, or their group. We’ve already had several families commit that on February 4th they will pause, fast that day, and then gather for a conversation about the values and principles promised in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Freedom Fast is not about winning arguments. It’s about creating space to listen, to reflect, and to rediscover together the principles that bind us.