“ . . . I am convinced that the common good requires us to be both personally responsible and socially just. These are the two best big ideas of conservatism and liberalism . . . .”

“What are the best and biggest ideas from each side that we will all need to listen to?”

—Jim Wallis, Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America’s Future

The magic word: listen. Can we do that in Washington? In budget committees? In congressional debates? In local politics? In family conflicts? Can we choose not to hate but to respect someone who has different ideas or a different take on the same ideas?

I can remember opinions of mine, over the years, that I concluded were false. But many more of my opinions were not wrong in themselves but were transformed into a better idea when I listened to others.

Listening is a magic wand, more powerful than any brandished by the students of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. And we don’t have to be magicians to use it. We just need a mustard seed of humility.