![]() ![]() Thousands of people had gathered as we watched world leaders and spiritual figures on Jumbotrons, marking the end of the week-long event.ĭuring the closing ceremony, a special peace award was presented. Joanne Coleman, a minister at Agape Spiritual Center in LA, and my friend Jessica Ellis the Executive Director of a Restorative Justice non-profit, to the main hall where the closing ceremony was taking place. I fielded questions, listened to stories, and celebrated breakthroughs for another 30 minutes. The workshop ended with several people asking me questions, sharing their individual stories of overcoming hurt and hate by building relationships with people who held different beliefs and life experiences. In fact, many people took lots of notes and asked for my PowerPoint presentation afterward. Over the next 90 minutes, I noticed him diligently taking copious notes, smiling at me with kind eyes, and truly absorbing every word. He had a bristling, long grey beard, glasses, and wore a yarmulke. There was someone in the audience who caught my eye. Truth be told, "Talking to Your Enemies" was a hot topic, and it seemed to be a skill set that people were eager to master. To my surprise, my workshop was bustling and overfilled with 83 people in attendance, leaving standing room only, and even people in the hallway listening in. ![]() With hundreds of speakers throughout the week, I had tempered my expectations. To be honest, I wasn't expecting more than 15-20 people to attend because there were so many competing panels and talks scheduled in the same time slot. Two weeks ago, I had the honor of presenting my talk, "How to Talk to Your Enemies: Words to Turn Hostility into Peace," at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago.
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