> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://dianaludwick.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Common Ground
- URL: https://dianaludwick.com/common-ground/
- Published: 2026-01-23T19:31:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:12:33.000Z
- Description: "Common Ground," a question on teaching versus living our values. Poem 023 in a series of 365 written by Diana Ludwick in 2026. Photo by Diana Ludwick (c) 2026.
- Author: Diana Ludwick
- Tags: 2026 Poetry Challenge, Poems, #Migrated-1792872215677, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-24 20:03

Today I will teach a gaggle of tweens  
How to “Find Common Ground.”  
  
I will explain the concept of   
Collaborative mediation.  
  
I will demonstrate the elements  
Of a respectful debate.  
  
I will delineate between   
Facts and opinions.  
  
I will distinguish  
Personhood from belief.  
  
We will practice   
Coming to consensus.  
  
We will learn about   
Majority rules and compromise.  
  
We will make promises  
About how to act as citizens.  
  
We will set intentions  
For being stewards of the world.  
  
And through all of this  
On the streets of our cities  
  
A vastly different reality  
Unravels and defies.   
  
I can teach Common Ground  
But can we all live it?