Adapting and Resisting with Empathy, Hope, and Creativity

Some of our conclusions were best summarized by Noemi Mena Montes, in her talk on maintaining integrity in an age of disinformation and division: “Adapt or resist isn’t binary - it’s a tension we live with daily. Adapt your tools, adapt your tone. Adapt your approach. Choosing truth is an act of resistance, so choose truth, even when it is inconvenient, unpopular, and lonely.”

In her closing message, ROM assistant director Rachel Ruvarac spoke about ROM’s motto for many years under former director Tihomir Kukolja: Ambassadors for a Better World. “We have talked a lot about what’s wrong with the world,” she said. “In order for us to be Ambassadors for a BETTER world, we have to be able to imagine that world and then work towards it.” She then traced the theme of a better world through the entire twelve-day program: 

Jelena Vilotijevic and Heather Staff spoke about how empathy has been treated as a weakness or flaw. They instead encouraged us to move along the spectrum from pity to sympathy to empathy to compassion. 

Drago Cmuk spoke about identity and the importance of being aware of the stories we tell ourselves.

Beau Gavin Durr spoke about forgiveness using examples from South Africa, emphasizing the importance of letting go of bitterness, as well as giving examples of restorative justice.

Dusan Beredji spoke about art as a tool for dealing with the past. He challenged us to be willing to look in the mirror and think critically about your and your nation’s past, and also to be willing to call evil evil and not water down the truth.

Rachel Ruvarac shared a vision of holistic peace, moving from negative peace, which is satisfied with co-existence, to a positive peace, which aims for mutual flourishing and interdependence. 

Amra Pandzo built on this idea when she shared a vision of the future where war and violence were unimaginable.

Alan Cutting spoke of a concept of reconciliation, based on Jean Paul Lederach’s The Meeting Place, where justice is satisfied, mercy is shown, the truth is revealed, and peace prevails.

Shenaj Belegu spoke about how even if we don’t know if or when national and international leaders will resolve ongoing conflicts, ordinary people want and need peace. 

Nicole spoke about conflict patterns and moving to a “win/win mindset.” She challenged us to think creatively about how we can transform conflict, which requires innovative adaptation and resistance.

Josh Ambrose moderated an activity he calls “The Crop Game,” which emphasized thinking outside the box and cooperation. Another interactive session, Empathy Night, pushed us to walk in someone else’s shoes.

Alan Cutting, in a Sunday morning meditation on the Apostle Peter, reminded us that our paths often do not follow a straight upwards trajectory, and will be full of rises and falls, victories and defeats, but there is grace and hope for us in our failures.

Dusan Beredji shared a theological perspective on activism and resistance, with a focus on the ongoing protests in Serbia.

Conrad Altmann showed us the power of speculative fiction to imagine the future, emphasizing the importance of imagination in shaping our actions and decisions and its power to impact the future.

Camilla Bocaniala gave us a framework to think about our own and others’ actions in the face of declining systems - corrupt governments, abusive families, dysfunctional workplaces, authoritarian schools, etc.

Noemi Mena Montes helped us navigate an overwhelmingly complex post-truth world, with concrete examples of what it means to adapt and resist, such as adapting by learning how algorithms work and listening to opposing views, and resisting by defending truth when facts are under attack. 

Heather Staff coined a new term in her closing talk: persevilience, a combination of perseverance and resilience, both of which are essential when navigating this world. 

In conclusion, Rachel Ruvarac highlighted common themes that shape our understanding of what it means to work towards a better world: 

-We need to hold on to hope, 

-Rely on and provide each other with friendship and support because we are better together, 

-Remember that empathy is a vital tool for overcoming preconceptions and differences, 

-Use creativity to imagine this better world, find win/win solutions, and transform conflict – human creativity is an infinite resource, 

-Adapt our tone, tools, and approach but resist false narratives, 

-When resisting, resist strategically, and 

-Do everything in love.

Our participants and team returned home motivated, encouraged, and equipped to face and address the challenges in their communities with empathy, hope, and creativity. “The topics opened my eyes to different ways of seeing the world, from the activism, art, forgiveness in South Africa and personal stories that initiated a soul punch more times than not,” one first time participant wrote afterwards.