Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other”
doesn’t make any sense.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.~ RumiIf you are reading this, you are likely a safe tech advocate. You may also have friends, neighbours, elected official, or family members who think your perspective is ridiculous or alarmist because they are convinced wireless technology is essential and benign.
How do we bridge these differences? How do we communicate with those who do not value or share our concerns, while avoiding the adversarial mentality of Us and Them? The following questions, which were adopted from a post on the Facebook Page of renowned mediator Kenneth Cloke, offer a way to initiate a genuine conversation. They invite us to listen deeply to "each other" with an open mind and heart.
Understanding "Each Other"
2. Do you have any mixed feelings, doubts, uncertainties, or discomforts regarding this issue that you would be willing to share?
3. Is there any part of this issue that you are not 100% certain of or would be willing to discuss and talk about?
4. What questions or points of curiosity do you have for people whose views on this issue are different from yours?
5. What are some of the key words or phrases that divide us?
7. What are some “hot button” words or phrases for you?
8. How would you define each of those words or phrases? What do they mean, suggest, or imply to you? Why? What experiences have you had with them?
9. What emotions do you experience, or get triggered by, with each set of words?
10. Do you think other definitions, meanings, experiences, or emotions are possible? How?
11. What do you think our conversation would be like if we decided not to use the words that divide us or trigger us emotionally? Are you willing to do that, right now?
Meeting in the Field
1. Even though we hold widely differing views, are there any concerns or ideas you think we may have in common?
3. What facts, if proven to be true, might cause you to think differently?
6. Is there any way that both of us could be right about different aspects of the issue? How?
Lying Down in the Grass
2. Would it be possible to test our ideas in practice and see which work best? How might we do that?
3. What could be done to improve each of our ideas?
4. Could any of my ideas be incorporated into yours? How?
5. Is there any aspect of this issue that either of us have left out? Are there any other alternatives to what we are both saying?
6. What other information would be useful, or would you like to have in order to address some of these questions we have discussed?
2. What is one thing I could do that would make this conversation work better for you?
3. Would you like to know one thing you could do that would make it work better for me? Are you willing to do that next time we talk?
4. What made you willing to participate in this conversation? Why did you agree to talk with me, even though we disagree?
Nine Questions for Awakening Wireless Awareness
Talking at someone is rarely an effective form of communication. But the skillful use of open-ended questions is. The following questions may cultivate understanding and lead to sound decision-making that has the common good at heart.
To explore a specific question, click on its turquoise +.
- If you answered “Yes” – Many industry experts question if 5G will actually fulfill its promises.The myth of 5G, the doubt that it will work in rural communities,and, as reported in the New York Times, the fact that “in 2019, AT&T and Verizon, the two largest American carriers, lit up their 5G networks in a small number of cities…yet the overwhelming majority of us saw no meaningful improvement to our cellular networks”, make 5G an unnecessary gamble that puts our well-being at stake. New breakthroughs in fiber optics technology make it 20 times faster than wireless 5G. Wired fiber networks can fulfill most of 5G’s promises without the peril.
- If you answered “No” – Read On
- If you are uncertain – See Dr.Ronald Powell”s There is No Safe Way to Implement 5G in our Communities.
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- If you would like to have a say, please note that Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) currently denies Canadians the right to have a say in whether small cells are placed on existing structures by our homes.
- If you don’t care – Read On
- If you are ambivalent – Read this report on a marathon Planning Commission meeting in Monterey, California attended by 150 residents who voiced their opposition to having small cells placed by their homes. The meeting resulted in the Commission overruling city staff and voting 7-0 to nix the project.
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- If you believe they are harmful – Read On
- If you don’t – Make sure the information sources you are using are free of vested interest. The sources you trust should have an extensive background in the biological effects of radiofrequency radiation, and be as reputable as the World Health Organization’s International Agency on Cancer and the US National Toxicology Program who have both linked radiofrequency radiation to cancer and DNA damage.
- If you are uncertain – Read HEALTH and/or NATURE
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- If you are concerned – Read On
- If you don’t think these diseases have anything to do with wireless tech – In 2018, both a US government expert panel and the renowned Ramazzini Institute found definitive links between cell towers, cell phones, and cancer. When scientists see the same types of tumors in different laboratories miles apart as a result of exposure to the same agent, it is called a reproducible finding. It is not random or a coincidence. Epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Miller of the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health states this animal evidence confirms that humans should not be living beside cell towers.
- If you are unsure there is a link – Read HEALTH
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- If you think these bodies are neutral – Health Canada and other international radiation protection agencies have been shown to be aligned with the industry they regulate.
- If you believe these agencies may be colluding with the industries they monitor – Read On
- If you don’t know enough to comment – See Harvard journalism fellow Norm Alster’s Captured Agency or this expose by award-winning investigative journalists Mark Hertsgaard and Mark Dowie on the disinformation campaign behind the 5G rollout.
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- It’s not – everyone is fine, thank you – Read this compelling piece from The New Times – Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain.
- Hard to tell – Read OUR CHILDREN
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- I doubt this is happening, but if it is, why should I care? – This article from Motherboard reveals how, “your daily habits are collected, sold, and abused by a universe of shady middlemen”.
- I don’t know – Read Privacy
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- This sounds like a conspiracy theory to me – Read this piece from the Guardian – Our phones and gadgets are now endangering the planet.
- Aren’t all these wireless sensors and systems supposed to help us save energy? – Read A CLIMATE IN CRISIS
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9. How do wireless signals affect pollinators, wildlife, plants, and the rest of the natural world?
- All living things have been exposed to natural electromagnetic energy forever, with no ill effects. I don’t think wireless tech is causing any problems. – National Geographic reports that insect populations are plummeting. This paper reviews the science that shows the effects of radiofrequency radiation on animals, birds, insects and plants.
- I don’t know – Read NATURE
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