A discussion guide on Glen Coleman’s book, Teaching in The New Crazy 

Objective: Appreciate that The New Crazy (our chaotic new normal) means different things to different people. By sharing personal experiences of life in The New Crazy, empathy begins to emerge, community begins to form, and common struggles are shared, thus creating support systems. Reading the book Teaching in the New Crazy is not required but it can deepen our conversation.  

  • What this is not: This conversation is not about politics or opinions. Our end goal is not to disagree amicably about Republican or Democratic talking points, although it is essential to show tolerance for different points of view.  

  • What’s different here? We understand that society, technology, politics, and the economy are changing too fast to spend time arguing over opinions. Rather, by drawing attention to our personal experiences, we can better appreciate the scale of the disruptions we face and figure out ways to help each other thrive today.  

Please read this 5-minute note to your group.

You’ll need three things in ample supply to hold this conversation: 

  1. Radical humility. 

  2. Love for our fellow humans. 

  3. A focus on your experience. [1] 

Remember what I wrote on pages 85-87 in my book, Teaching in The New Crazy: One of my best students, a graduate from an Ivy League, used my lesson on the Enlightenment to help justify something that I thought was horrifying. He was photographed on the Capitol steps at the January 6th Stop the Steal rally. His picture went viral. I “saw” him on TV while I was teaching a class from home due to the COVID-19 lockdown. I don’t think the 2020 election was rigged. He does. 

But I love the guy. I called him up on the night of January 6th to check in. We spoke for hours. We still talk regularly. My former student is more than his opinions – and he has a right to them, as do I. He’s a good man. We respect each other not for our views, but because we see beyond them.  

The point is, dare to love someone who sees the world differently than you do. Not easy. Find that love within yourself, for yourself, and for others. 

To that end, speak of your experiences. Leave policy for another time. Tell us what your day is like in The New Crazy. This will help us create a deeper understanding of this historical moment. 

There are three questions we need to answer, not necessarily in order — but it should start with the first one, the most important: 

  1. What does The New Crazy mean to you? 

  2. How do you get through it? 

  3. What can we learn from other peoples’ experiences? 

Suggestions for launching the conversation:

1. Remove all digital devices from the room. 

2. Pass out paper so everyone can write down their thoughts, or even a word or phrase to help keep track of the conversation. 

3. Start this way: For roughly three minutes, silently and privately write/reflect on your own response to “What does The New Crazy mean to you?” “What have been your experiences?” “What is happening in your life that makes it so?” 

  • Experiment: perhaps use a “talking object,” meaning only the person holding an object does the talking. It can be anything the group agrees on, i.e. a ball, a book, etc. (A suggestion only.) 

4. Our conversation will take place in three rounds. In first round, each participant answers the question, uninterrupted: “What does The New Crazy mean to you?” Two minutes maximum for each person. 

5. The second round. Repeat #4. Again, go around the circle. Allow people to deepen their insights uninterrupted. No cross talk yet. 

6. In the third round the conversation becomes an open forum with the following guidelines: 

7. Stay on target with these three questions: 

  1. What does “The New Crazy” mean to you? 

  2. How do you get through it? 

  3. What have you learned from other peoples’ experiences? 

8. Avoid policy. Keep it close to home. What is happening to you and those around you?

9. If conversations get dominated by only a few speakers, consider employing the “talking object.” Or reset the flow of conversation with 60 seconds of silence. 

10. Participants are encouraged to generate their own questions to cultivate the conversation. 

11. Before concluding, give participants one to three minutes to reflect. Writing one’s thoughts is encouraged. Consider the following questions: 

  • What surprised you? 

  • What moved or touched you? 

  • What challenged you? 

  • What did you learn?

12. Allow everyone to give a closing statement on the above questions.  

13. Last thing: Sometimes the best note is silence. Help create silence so that others can share their experiences. Alternatively, if you rarely speak, flip the script; bravely speak your truth. You’re the spark that starts the campfire. 

Best of luck! If you have questions, reach out, 

Glen 

[1] Kessler, Daniel and Dimitrakopoulou, Dimitra and Roy, Deb, Hearing Personal Experiences Improves Social Evaluations Compared to Personal Opinions, Especially for Polarized Parties (December 05, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4978495 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4978