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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Power of Bridging summary
john a. powell
How to Build a World Where We All Belong
18 mins
Brief summary
The Power of Bridging explores the concept of bridging social divides by fostering connections among diverse groups. John A. Powell emphasizes the importance of shared humanity to address societal conflicts and create inclusive communities.
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The Power of Bridging
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Begin by understanding othering
What drives social division? Let’s start by looking at othering, a concept that reveals the hidden patterns behind prejudice. The scholar Edward Said first articulated this when studying how Western writers described Eastern cultures – full of “exotic” people who weren’t quite as civilized as Europeans. Simone de Beauvoir uncovered something similar in gender relations, showing how men throughout history treated women as fundamentally different beings who supposedly couldn’t think or lead as well as men.
Racism shows us othering at its most devastating. Every day, it causes real harm to real people. But racism isn’t alone. Homophobia, Islamophobia, ableism, and many more forms of prejudice all work through similar mechanisms. In each case, one group declares “you’re not like us” and uses that supposed difference to justify treating others as less worthy.
Something surprising emerges when we dig deeper: othering isn’t simply baked into human nature. Yes, we naturally tend to favor people who seem similar to us. But the stories we tell about who belongs and who doesn’t are entirely made up. Look at how people sometimes believe stories that actually work against their own interests. Working-class voters might support policies that mainly benefit the wealthy, or women might defend sexist traditions. This shows us these dividing lines aren’t fixed. We can redraw them.
The push to belong drives a lot of othering, which might seem counterintuitive at first: A teenager bullies a classmate to fit in with the popular crowd. A struggling community blames immigrants for their problems to feel more united. Religious groups might exclude others to strengthen their own sense of identity. But this kind of belonging through exclusion creates a false unity that ultimately makes genuine connection impossible.
Othering isn’t only about individual prejudice. The Black Lives Matter movement powerfully illustrates how it operates at every level of society. Entire systems have treated Black lives as less valuable – including police departments, courts, and other institutions. And in doing so, they’ve made it seem normal and acceptable to treat Black people differently.
Ultimately, individual bias feeds into unfair systems, and those systems then reinforce and justify the bias.
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What is The Power of Bridging about?
The Power of Bridging (2024) presents “bridging” as an approach to overcoming social division. Drawing on research that shows an overwhelming public desire to reduce divisiveness, it offers practical strategies for building connections in all areas of life, from communities and workplaces to friendships and family relationships.
Who should read The Power of Bridging?
- Activists who need to build a coalition without neglecting core values
- Educators supporting students to navigate a divided society
- Community leaders whose work unites disparate groups and interests
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