Embracing a Both~And Mindset

It’s the start of a new school year, and I’ll admit I’m going into it with a lot of conflicting feelings.

But I’m trying to keep in mind that practicing intercultural competence involves embracing a both~and mindset.

The world can feel very polarizing right now. When we polarize, we’re taking an either/or mindset. We’re seeing the world in dualistic ways—“us” and “them,” “good” and “bad.” Such binary thinking can be enticing because it’s easier, and perhaps more automatic, than the alternative—complexity thinking. However, polarizing thinking makes a lot less possible.

Taking a both~and mindset is an antidote to polarization (I’m choosing to use a ~ between the words because it feels less binary than a /). It’s a more interculturally competent way to respond. A both~and mindset allows us to take in the complexity, volatility, ambiguity, and uncertainty of the moment without, hopefully, being completely overwhelmed. It’s a first step toward tackling complex issues.

As F. Scott Fitzerald once said, “The test of a first rate intelligence is to hold two ideas in your mind at the same time and still retain the capacity to function. You must, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless, yet be determined to make them otherwise.”

Below are a few examples of both~and mindsets I’m embracing right now.

I can BOTH:

• Miss having my daughter at home…. AND know that she’s exactly where she needs to be right now, on her own adventure as an international student.
  
  
• Be devastated by the recent school shooting in my community (and the increase of such events)…. AND recognize and appreciate the humanity and resilience expressed by so many in the aftermath.
  
  
• Be deflated by the way higher education, diversity efforts, and international exchange are being gutted…. AND acknowledge and celebrate all the great work my colleagues in these fields continue to do.
  
  
• Feel like the bottom is falling out in so many ways…. AND know that the work I’m doing to build intercultural capacity among faculty and staff in higher education matters in the world.

What both~and thoughts are you leaning into at the start of this academic year?

And how might you help your students develop their both~and thinking skills this year?

Photo credit: Tim Mosshold, Unsplash