Common Ground

A bedrock principle appears pivotal to promote healing in today’s fractured society

There are sticky questions making the political rounds about how and why the concepts of cooperation and compromise have eroded so dramatically in countries around the world.

Some observers believe the slide can be traced to one word – fear – and how power-hungry politicians and government officials pounce on that feeling of insecurity to sow seeds of distrust in our most fundamental institutions.

Others conclude that the principal threats to consensus-building are generally home-grown and are stoked by unfounded claims on social media, which makes stamping them out particularly challenging for those committed to the truth and to the right of self-determination.

Free speech has long been viewed as the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and yet it appears clear that the political animosity prevalent across society is serving as the enemy of unity.

To understand the social and political dynamics of today, we must determine how millions of citizens became inoculated against the truth, causing seismic shifts in how we deal with the twin plagues of intolerance and bigotry.

In part, the distrust can be traced to how easily people can silo themselves in echo chambers when it comes to their viewing and listening habits, further contributing to the fracturing and divisions of today. At virtually every level of government, there has been a willingness to plow through procedural guardrails without hesitancy

and a desire to turn a blind eye to the traditional rules of civility and decorum.

So, how did we arrive in the land of seemingly unending conflict – and more importantly, how do we find our way into a world of peaceful coexistence?

Four members of the international community of Primerus have some thoughts on the subject, representing

a diverse cross-section of attorneys from around the globe. They come from China, Germany, Mexico, and the U.S., and include George Fu of the Watson & Band Law Offices in Shanghai; Dr. Eckart Broedermann of the Broedermann Jahn law firm in Hamburg; Iker Dieguez of Cacheaux Cavazos & Newton in Mexico City; and Joel Collins of Collins & Lacy in Columbia, South Carolina.