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It is hardly news that the issue tormenting Somali people is the struggle to overcome sub clan divisiveness that could lead to building a nation state. The shock is after a decade and half of wrestling with this enigma, the obvious answer is that no one has been able to explore- changing the way we think. There's only one problem- getting out of our mess and establishing a nation state requires influencing how people actually think. Yet when the habits of persuasion have been buried, the possibilities of developing relationships across the lines of division become far removed. Is it possible for Somalis today to convince anyone of anything he doesn't already believe? If so, are there enough places where mingling of minds occurs to raise questions and influence one another? The signs are not good. Ninety percent of political conversation among Somalis amounts to dueling sub clan points. The purpose of most political debates is not to persuade but to win as our reactive sub clan dynamics spark fear and sharply increases the level of polarization. Like Sisyphus, we continue to keep rolling the rock uphill. To escape the crisis in which we are trapped, people must imagine and articulate the kind of community they desire. We must establish a new of way of thinking. We must not envision the future as a final destination that is mechanistically planned, bust instead engage one another not as hostile clans, but communities, in the process of looking toward a horizon of reconciliation, toward the place where we can envision living in an interdependent and commonly defined future. As it is now, marshaling a case to persuade those who start from a different position is a lost art. Huddling with like-minded sub clan souls, it is inconceivable to honor what's right in the other side's argument which often seems a superfluous thing that can only cause trouble. But the embarrassing truth is that the self appointed clan politicians are impervious to facts and often get it wrong. Beyond this, the gap between the sub clan leadership political ambitions and the pragmatic yearning of the average Somali person for sound , secular, and democratic government explains why so many people are feeling despair and hopelessness. We can only change how we think if we can create a commonly shared future and to develop a clear understanding of, and practical response to, the existing realities and crises. The resurrection of persuasion will not be easy. Sub clan demagogues who've learned to exploit divisiveness to perpetuate their survival, may not feel safe with creatively engaging on substance. But if you believe that meeting our collective challenges requires greater collective understanding, we've got to change how we think. We need a cultural breakthrough that creates new possibilities. Mohamed Jibrell Minneapolis, Minnesota
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