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MY NAME IS EMILE BRUNEAU.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED OUT IN CALIFORNIA.

THE FIRST PLACE I LIVED WAS ON THE COMMUNE UP IN THE MOUNTAINS

ABOVE THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.

OKAY, JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU'RE ROLLING, THERE.

THIS IS EMILE. TAKE ONE, A, B, AND C MARK.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT GOT ME INTERESTED

IN UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BRAIN

WAS THAT WHEN I WAS BORN, MY MOTHER BECAME SCHIZOPHRENIC,

AND SO I BECAME INTENSELY INTERESTED

IN HOW THE BRAIN WORKS,

SO EVENTUALLY I WENT INTO A NEUROSCIENCE PhD PROGRAM,

BUT THE RESEARCH THAT I'M DOING NOW

HAS TO DO WITH GROUPS AND CONFLICT.

I WAS IN SOUTH AFRICA RIGHT AT THE END OF APARTHEID

AND SRI LANKA IN THAT COUNTRY'S CIVIL WAR,

AND THEN I WAS ALSO IN IRELAND DURING THE TROUBLES

WORKING WITH CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT CHILDREN,

AND THE THING THAT REALLY STUCK WITH ME

WAS THE REMARKABLE SIMILARITY

IN WHAT SEEMED TO BE DRIVING PEOPLE INTO CONFLICT

AND REALIZED THAT THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR

OF ALL THOSE CONFLICTS IS THE HUMAN BRAIN.

WE SHARE AN EVOLUTIONARY LINEAGE

AND AN ASTONISHING VIOLENT PAST.

HATE ISN'T RESERVED FOR ONE CULTURAL GROUP,

ONE ETHNIC GROUP, ONE RELIGIOUS GROUP.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS US AS HUMANS,

BUT THE SAVING GRACE IS THAT OUR MINDS EVOLVED

TO BE REALLY FLEXIBLE.

EVERY ASSOCIATION, THOUGHT,

PREJUDICE THAT WE HAVE HAS THE ABILITY TO CHANGE.

SO TO ME, THE MOST EXCITING NEXT STEP IS,

"HOW DO WE NOW TEST DIFFERENT WAYS TO CHANGE ATTITUDES?"

I WOULD LOVE AT SOME POINT TO HAVE A MENU OF OPTIONS,

THE TOOL BOX OF ALL THE DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS

THAT CAN CHANGE PEOPLE'S VIEWS AND GET THEM TO TRANSCEND

THIS MENTALITY OF US VERSUS THEM.

THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION IS,

"HOW CAN WE USE THE TOOLS OF SCIENCE

TO FOSTER PEACE BUILDING?"

RIGHT NOW, I AM IN COLOMBIA

BECAUSE COLOMBIA IS AT THIS IMPORTANT AND TENUOUS POINT.

THE FARC REVOLUTIONARIES STARTED ABOUT 50-ODD YEARS AGO.

IT'S THIS COMMUNIST, LEFT-WING MILITANT GROUP

FIGHTING AGAINST WHAT THEY SAID WAS OPPRESSION OF THE MASSES.

AT ITS HEIGHT, FARC CONTROLLED A THIRD

OF COLOMBIA'S TERRITORY,

AND THE GUERRILLA ARMY CLASSED AS A TERRORIST GROUP

BY THE E.U. AND U.S.

HAS MADE DRUGS AND KIDNAPPING ITS BUSINESS.

THE CIVIL WAR KILLED 200,000 PEOPLE

AND LEFT GENERATIONS TRAUMATIZED,

BUT THE GOVERNMENT AND FARC

HAD MANAGED TO AGREE ON A PEACE DEAL.

AND THEN THEY PUT IT TO THE COLOMBIAN PEOPLE

TO RATIFY THE PEACE TREATY,

AND THE COLOMBIAN PEOPLE REJECTED IT

BY JUST 50.2% TO 49.8%.

SO THE FIRST RESEARCH QUESTION WAS, "WHY?

WHY DID COLOMBIAN PEOPLE REJECT THE PEACE TREATY?"

AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THEY THOUGHT

THAT FARC DIDN'T REALLY WANT PEACE.

THEY THOUGHT THAT FARC DIDN'T WANT TO AND WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO

INTEGRATE INTO COLOMBIAN SOCIETY.

SO COLOMBIA HAS THE POLITICAL CHANGE THAT THE GOVERNMENT

AND FARC AGREED TO PAVE THIS PATH TO PEACE,

BUT AFTER MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF BLOODY CONFLICT,

THE PSYCHOLOGY HASN'T SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY AMONG THE PEOPLE.

THE IDEA OF THE RESEARCH IS TO INTERVIEW FORMER FARC MEMBERS

SO THAT WE CAN GET AN UNDERSTANDING

OF WHAT'S REALLY IN THEIR MINDS ABOUT THESE ISSUES.

THAT'S ONE TOOL WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE

TO SWAY COLOMBIAN PEOPLE'S MINDS ABOUT THE PEACE DEAL.

I HAVE A FEELING THAT WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR HEADS

DOES NOT MATCH UP

WITH WHAT COLOMBIANS THINK IS IN THEIR HEADS,

AND THAT'S THE WHOLE PREMISE OF THIS EXPERIMENT RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T KNOW HOW RIGHT I'M GOING TO BE,

SO THERE'S SOME ANXIETY ABOUT THAT.

WE DID THIS INITIAL SURVEY AMONG COLOMBIANS,

AND WHAT I WAS MOST STRUCK BY WAS THE LEVEL OF DEHUMANIZATION.

ON THE ASCENT OF MAN SCALE,

COLOMBIANS RATED FARC TO BE

OVER 43 POINTS BELOW THEMSELVES.

THIS IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL

OF DEHUMANIZATION THAT WE'VE

RECORDED AROUND THE WORLD.

THE CLOSEST TO THAT LEVEL OF DEHUMANIZATION

IS HOW AMERICANS RATED ISIS

AND HOW ISRAELIS

AND PALESTINIANS RATED EACH OTHER

DURING THE WAR IN GAZA.

THE COLOMBIAN CAMERA CREW THAT WE BROUGHT WITH US ON THE SHOOT,

THEY WERE COLOMBIAN KIDS WHO HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO ALL THE MEDIA

THAT ALL OTHER COLOMBIANS HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO,

SO I WAS CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT FARC MEMBERS.

WE WERE TAUGHT SINCE WE WERE VERY YOUNG TO HATE THEM

AND THAT THEY WERE ANIMALS.

WE GREW UP WITH THE PERCEPTION THAT THEY ARE TERRORISTS

AND THEY ARE BAD PEOPLE.

YEAH.

DO YOU THINK OTHER COLOMBIANS ARE EXCITED

TO HAVE FARC AS POLITICIANS?

MOST OF US THINK THAT THEY'RE NOT FOLLOWING THEIR IDEALS,

BUT WORKING ABOUT IN THE DRUG BUSINESS,

AND SO I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT

THAT IS... GENUINE.

GETTING SOMEONE TO LIKE SOMEONE ELSE

WHO THEY MIGHT HAVE GOOD REASON TO HATE, THAT IS TOUGH,

BUT IF YOU CAN GET THEM TO RECOGNIZE

THAT THE OTHER PERSON IS JUST AS HUMAN AS YOU,

THAT, AFTER ALL, IS AN OBJECTIVE TRUTH,

SO THAT SHOULD BE A MUCH EASIER SELL.

SO FIRST, WHERE DID YOU GROW UP,

AND WHAT WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD LIKE?

HOW DID YOU GET PULLED INTO IT, TO JOIN THE CONFLICT?

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GRIEVING FROM LOSS

FOR THE CONFLICT?

MUCHAS GRACIAS.

- OHH - AHH.

WE'RE GOING TO INTERVIEW

MORE FORMER FARC MEMBERS

AND ASK THEM THE SAME QUESTIONS.

SOMETIMES JUST PROVIDING PEOPLE WITH AN ACCURATE VIEW,

RIGHT, THAT ISN'T FILTERED,

MIGHT ALLOW THEM TO START MAKING THEIR OWN CONNECTIONS

AND THEN RAISING THEIR OWN QUESTIONS.

MY THOUGHTS WERE REALLY DIFFERENT

FROM I EXPECTED TO FOUND HERE.

YEAH.

I CAN SEE IN THEIR FACES THAT THEY WANT TO CHANGE.

UH-HUH.

YOU KNOW, THEY WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.

I'M, LIKE, VERY CONFUSED.

AND DOUBTING ABOUT ALL THE STUFF THAT I HAVE LEARNED,

BECAUSE IF YOU GET TO KNOW THESE PEOPLE

AND THE DESPERATION OF WAR, THAT THEY TELL US...

- YEAH. - ...IS LIKE,

IF WE WERE IN THAT POSITION,

WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE DONE THE SAME,

TO FIGHT FOR OUR FAMILY AND OUR LOVED ONES.

YEAH.

IT'S REALLY NICE TO FIND, LIKE, THAT WE HAVE COMMON THINGS.

- YEAH. - AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

FOR ME, IT'S -- I'M REALLY HAPPY,

AND I'M REALLY, UM, VERY --

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE WHAT I'M FEELING,

BUT I'M THANKFUL I CAN BE HERE.

SEEING HOW THESE YOUNG COLOMBIANS

RESPONDED TO THE INTERVIEWS WAS INCREDIBLY ENCOURAGING.

THEY WERE NOT SELF-SELECTED TO BE PEOPLE

WHO ARE FERVENTLY IN FAVOR OF PEACE.

THEY WERE JUST SELECTED TO BE ON THE JOB.

AND SO I THINK THAT THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION IS,

"CAN WE BOTTLE A PIECE OF WHAT AFFECTED THEM?

CAN WE BOTTLE THAT AND DELIVER IT TO OTHER PEOPLE

AND HAVE AT LEAST A FRACTION OF THE EFFECT

THAT IT HAD ON THESE KIDS WITH OTHER COLOMBIANS?"

AND SO NOW WE NEED TO CREATE VIDEOS

AND TEST WHAT AFFECT THEY HAVE ON COLOMBIAN PEOPLE.

IF WE MAKE INSIGHTS IN ONE PLACE,

THEY CAN BE APPLICABLE ELSEWHERE.

I WENT TO SOUTH AFRICA IN 1994.

APARTHEID HAD BEEN DISMANTLED.

SOUTH AFRICA HELD THEIR FIRST DEMOCRATIC ELECTION

IN THEIR HISTORY, AND THEY ELECTED NELSON MANDELA,

WHO HAD BEEN IN PRISON FOR SO MANY YEARS.

PEOPLE WERE LITERALLY DANCING IN THE STREETS.

IT WAS A TIME OF SUCH INCREDIBLE HOPE,

AND SO ONE THING THAT I THINK IS ALWAYS INTERESTING

TO THINK ABOUT IS HOW MUCH ROLE LEADERS HAVE

IN THESE SHIFTS AND HOW MUCH ROLE THE PEOPLE HAVE.

JUST LIKE IN COLOMBIA, THERE ARE STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS,

AND THERE ARE PSYCHOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS,

AND THEY CAN BE REALLY AFFECTED BY EACH OTHER.

AND SO I WANT TO KNOW HOW DID THE LEADERS

OF THE RULING NATIONAL PARTY

AND THE ONCE OUTLAWED AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

MANAGED TO COME TOGETHER TO END APARTHEID.

WHAT HAD TO HAPPEN IN THE MINDS OF THESE MEN

TO CHANGE HOW THEY SAW EACH OTHER

AND HOW THEY SAW THE WAY FORWARD?

FROM THE BEGINNING,

OUR COUNTRY WAS DEALT A RAW DEAL.

THOSE WHO CAME TO COLONIZE THIS COUNTRY,

HAVING MADE IT AS THEIR HOME,

THEY WANTED TO ABROGATE UNTO THEMSELVES

ALL THAT IS GOOD TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHERS,

SO THAT GAVE BIRTH TO RACISM.

THAT GAVE BIRTH TO DIVISIONS.

ALL AFRICANS WERE REGARDED IN LAW

AS TEMPORARY CITIZENS IN A WHITE MAN'S TERRITORY.

EVERY AFRICAN MALE HAD TO CARRY A PASS.

FOR IT TO BE VALID, IT HAD TO HAVE A STAMP IN IT

OF A JOB-SEEKER'S PERMIT.

IF YOUR PASS DID NOT HAVE THAT STAMP,

YOU WOULD BE ARRESTED FOR LOITERING.

THIS INVOKED DEEP, DEEP SENSE OF INJUSTICE,

AND THEREFORE HATRED FOR THE SYSTEM.

HAVING TRIED SOME MEASURE OF RAPPROCHEMENT

AND IT HAVING NOT HELPED,

IT REACHED A POINT WHERE WE FELT THAT THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY

BUT TO EMBARK ON AN ARMS STRUGGLE.

I HAVE CHERISHED THE IDEAS

OF A DEMOCRATIC AND FREE SOCIETY.

IT IS AN IDEA FOR WHICH

I AM PREPARED TO DIE.

NELSON MANDELA, HE WAS A REVOLUTIONARY.

HE WANTED TO OVERTHROW THE STATE BY VIOLENT MEANS,

AND THAT IS WHAT HE WAS JAILED FOR, SEDITION.

SO I FELT HE HAD A FAIR TRIAL,

AND HE DESERVED SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT.

BY THE LATE 1980s, THERE WAS A GENERAL REALIZATION

THAT WE WERE ON THE BRINK OF A CIVIL WAR.

THE ANC WAS VERY WELL-ORGANIZED IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

LOCALLY, IT WAS BANNED, BUT OUTSIDE, IT WAS OPERATING

AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA.

WE HAD MADE THE COUNTRY UNGOVERNABLE.

AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL,

THE SANCTIONS CAMPAIGN GATHERED ENORMOUS MOMENTUM.

FREE SOUTH AFRICA!

I BECOME DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT SOUTH AFRICA

WOULD HAVE STOOD IN FLAMES,

THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG SOUTH AFRICANS

WOULD HAVE DIED IN AN ESCALATING WAR

AND THAT AT THE END OF THAT,

WE WOULD HAVE TO NEGOTIATE AN ENDING OF IT.

WE KNEW THAT IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME

FOR DE KLERK TO CAPITULATE.

WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WAS THE MINUTE,

THE HOUR, AND THE DAY HE WOULD DO IT.

SO THAT CAUGHT US BY SURPRISE.

THERE'S MR. MANDELA, MR. NELSON MANDELA,

A FREE MAN TAKING HIS FIRST STEPS INTO A NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

IT WAS A SUNDAY AFTERNOON,

AND THE WHOLE WORLD, OF COURSE, WAS WATCHING THIS,

BUT NOBODY COULD SAY EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS GOING TO SAY,

AND WE WERE ALL WATCHING WITH UNCERTAINTY.

IF HE'D CALLED ON THE MASSES TO FOLLOW HIM

INTO TAKING POWER, THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IT.

WE EXPRESS THE HOPE

THAT A CLIMATE CONDUCIVE

TO A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT

WOULD BE CREATED SOON.

HE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED THE PATH

OF SEEKING A SETTLEMENT THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS.

WHEN MANDELA AND DE KLERK THEN APPOINTED US RESPECTIVELY,

TO START THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS,

ROELF MEYER AND I,

WE WERE PUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS DRAMA.

I HAD TO DEFEND THE ANC AND WHAT IT STOOD FOR,

AND HE HAD TO DEFEND WHAT THE NATIONAL PARTY STOOD FOR,

BUT WHAT THE NATIONAL PARTY STOOD FOR WAS BANKRUPT.

THEY WANTED THINGS SUCH AS, SPECIAL RIGHTS FOR WHITE PEOPLE,

A SPECIAL VOTE FOR WHITE PEOPLE, WHICH WAS COMPLETELY AGAINST

WHAT WE STOOD FOR.

THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT WE HELD OVER THE PERIOD OF 4 YEARS

WERE, AT TIMES, HIGHLY STRAINED

BECAUSE OF ONGOING POLITICAL VIOLENCE.

MANY PEOPLE WERE KILLED DURING THOSE NEGOTIATIONS.

THERE'S SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WANT US

TO HAVE A NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

PEOPLE WERE WORRIED BECAUSE THEY HAD TO REALIZE

THAT THERE'S CHANGE COMING.

IT'S THE END OF APARTHEID,

BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WOULD REPLACE IT.

THERE WERE SO MANY MOMENTS THAT WE THOUGHT THAT IT'S ALL OVER.

FOR ME, PERSONALLY, THE MOST CLEAR EXPERIENCE

OF THAT KIND WAS IN 1992, WITH THE MASSACRE

THAT HAPPENED SOUTH OF JOHANNESBURG.

THE NATIONAL PARTY REGIME OF F. W. DE KLERK

HAS BROUGHT OUR COUNTRY TO THE BRINK OF DISASTER.

DE KLERK'S REGIME CANNOT ESCAPE CULPABILITY.

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY FORWARD...

SO, RAMAPHOSA WAS NEXT TO MANDELA MAKING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE ALL GONE.

THIS VIOLENCE ROBS US ALL OF OUR HUMANITY.

IF WE WANT PEACE, WE WILL HAVE TO WORK FOR IT.

FOR ME, THE TRUST CAME ABOUT WHEN I GOT A FEELING

THAT ROELF MEYER AND SOME OF HIS ILK

WERE REACHING OUT FOR GUIDANCE FROM US.

"GUIDE US OUT OF THIS QUAGMIRE THAT WE ARE IN."

SO A TRUST THEN BEGAN TO DEVELOP.

THAT'S POWERFUL, IF YOU CAN SAY TO YOUR OPPONENT,

"I TRUST YOU TO THE EXTENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO RESOLVE THIS."

IN OTHER WORDS, "I RELY ON YOU. YOU HAVE TO RELY ON ME."

IT'S DEEPER THAN JUST UNDERSTANDING

THAT YOU HAVE TO INTELLECTUALLY ACCEPT WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.

IT ALSO COMES FROM YOUR HEART.

I THINK IT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY THAT THE CHEMISTRY

THAT DEVELOPED BETWEEN US WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR

TO THE SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA.

WE DEVELOPED, NOT ONLY AN UNDERSTANDING AND A RESPECT,

BUT ALSO A FRIENDSHIP.

EVEN THOUGH, AT TIMES, THERE WERE GREAT TENSIONS

BETWEEN ME AND MR. MANDELA,

WHENEVER ROELF AND CYRIL CAME TO US AND SAID,

"NOW WE'VE REACHED A DEAD END. THE TWO OF YOU MUST HELP US,"

WE FOUND IT POSSIBLE TO RISE ABOVE THOSE STATIONS,

TO TAKE HANDS AND TO FIND THE DOOR

IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A DOORLESS WALL.

WE NOW STAND AT THE GATEWAY OF A DEMOCRACY

THAT SO MANY OF US HAVE WORKED SO HARD FOR,

AND SO MANY HAVE DIED FOR.

THE ELECTION OF APRIL 1994 WAS A VERY SPECIAL EVENT.

AND WHEN I WAS ASKED, "BUT HOW WAS IT POSSIBLE

THAT YOU CAN BE HAPPY?" MY IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WAS,

I'M HAPPY BECAUSE I LIBERATED MYSELF.

BECAUSE WE WERE AS MUCH THE VICTIMS OF OUR OWN MAKING

AS THOSE THAT WERE OPPRESSED THROUGH THE LAWS

AND THE APARTHEID POLICIES OF THE PAST.

WE ARE ALL SOUTH AFRICA.

WE HAVE HAD A GOOD FIGHT, BUT NOW,

THIS IS A TIME TO HEAL THE OLD WOUNDS

AND TO BUILD A NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

RACISM, DIVISION ARE STILL THE FAULT LINES

IN THE MAKEUP OF OUR COUNTRY,

THE FAULT LINES THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE WORKING TO CLOSE UP.

NOW, OUR TASK IS TO KEEP ON GOING ON WITH THE MESSAGE

THAT WE ARE ONE NATION, WE ARE ONE PEOPLE,

SO THAT SOUTH AFRICANS FEEL THAT WE ARE SOUTH AFRICANS

BEFORE WE ARE BLACK OR WHITE.

- THANK YOU. - THANK YOU.

IT'S THE LEADERS WHO MAKE THE PEACE,

BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP THE PEACE,

AND I THINK THAT THAT SPEAKS TO THE IMPORTANCE

OF BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGE AMONG THE POPULATION

AND THE STRUCTURAL CHANGE AMONG THE LEADERSHIP.

THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT A LEADER CAN DO.

A LEADER CAN FACILITATE

THE MOVEMENT OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGE,

OR THEY CAN START IT.

SO THE END OF APARTHEID WAS AMAZING,

BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S UNPREDICTABLE.

THAT'S WHAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET FROM SCIENCE,

IS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO PREDICT WHAT WORKS IN OTHER CONFLICTS

BASED ON WHAT YOU LEARN IN THIS CONFLICT.

THE ROOTS OF THE HUMANIZATION RESEARCH

REALLY CAME OUT OF POST-HOLOCAUST THINKING.

WE WANTED TO KNOW HOW THIS COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN.

AND THE UNSETTLING REALITY IS THAT THE ENEMY IS JUST LIKE US.

THIERRY CRUVELLIER IS A JOURNALIST

WHO HAS COVERED WAR TRIBUNALS

AND PEACE PROCESSES AROUND THE WORLD.

NOW HE'S RESEARCHING HOW GERMANY

HAS DEALT WITH ITS OWN HISTORY OF GENOCIDE.

FOR EVERYONE WHO WORKS ON MASS VIOLENCE,

MASS CRIME, THE REFERENCE IS WHAT HAPPENED

DURING THE 1940s

WHEN THE NAZI REGIME

DECIDED ON THE COMPLETE EXTERMINATION OF JEWS IN EUROPE.

AND SO, WITHIN THE SPACE OF FEW YEARS,

ABOUT 6 MILLION JEWS WERE MURDERED,

BUT WHAT WAS INTERESTING TO ME

IS AFTER WORKING IN MANY COUNTRIES

IN THE AFTERMATH OF MASS VIOLENCE,

GERMANY WAS PROVIDING A TOTALLY UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF A COUNTRY

THAT DECIDED TO CONFRONT ITS OWN PAST DIRECTLY

AND IN WAYS THAT I DON'T THINK

ANY OTHER NATION HAS DECIDED TO DO.

BASICALLY, DECIDING TO BUILD A NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY

AGAINST ITS OWN PAST.

IT'S IN THE '60s WHEN ISRAEL

ARRESTED THIS FORMER SENIOR OFFICIAL OF THE NAZI REGIME,

ADOLF EICHMANN, AND TRIED HIM.

THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE NAZI PLAN

KNOWN AS "THE FINAL SOLUTION OF THE JEWISH PROBLEM."

THE EICHMANN TRIAL, IT WAS BROADCAST,

AND SO IT BROUGHT BACK THE GENOCIDE OF EUROPEAN JEWS

TO THE FOREFRONT, TO THE NEWS.

IT'S IN THAT WAY THAT IT ALSO FORCED GERMANY TO DO SOMETHING.

TODAY, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF MEMORIALS IN GERMANY.

THEY'VE MANAGED TO ORGANIZE THE MEMORY

IN A WAY THAT IT GOES INTO THE DAILY LIFE.

A UNIQUE EXAMPLE IS THAT YOU HAVE THESE STOLPERSTEINE,

AS THEY CALL THEM,

THAT ARE PUT AT THE ENTRANCE OF A BUILDING

WITH THE NAME OF GERMAN JEWS

WHOSE RESIDENCE WAS THERE AND THE CAMP WHERE THEY DIED.

BUT THE MOST SYMBOLIC ASPECT

WAS THE RECONSTITUTION OF A JEWISH COMMUNITY IN GERMANY.

TODAY, GERMANY HAS AMONG THE HIGHEST IMMIGRATION

OF JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.

PERHAPS THE MOST FASCINATING IMMIGRATION,

IT COMES FROM ISRAEL.

THEY'RE TIRED OF THE SECURITY IN ISRAEL.

THEY'RE OFTEN TIRED OF THE POLITICS,

AND SO GERMANY MANAGED TO BE FELT

AS A SAFE PLACE FOR JEWS.

THAT IS INCREDIBLE

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HOLOCAUST.

AND ALL THIS CAME TO ME

THROUGH THE STORY OF A FRIEND OF MINE,

DAVID, WHO DECIDED TO GET HIS CITIZENSHIP

BECAUSE AS A SON OF GERMAN JEWS, HE KNEW HE HAD THE RIGHT

AND DECIDED TO MOVE FROM WEST AFRICA TO BERLIN

WITH HIS DAUGHTER AND SETTLE THERE.

SO, WHY WOULD THEY MAKE IT SO JEWS CAN'T SING?

MAYBE TO GIVE A SIGN TO PEOPLE THAT JEWS ARE REALLY

NOT ALLOWED TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY.

MY PARENTS LEFT BEFORE THE WAR.

MY MOTHER WAS 2.

MY FATHER WAS 9, BOTH FROM BERLIN.

THEY MET IN AUSTRALIA, WHICH IS WHERE THEY FLED.

I GREW UP IN AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH EVERYTHING GERMAN WAS BAD.

I WAS TOLD I SHOULD NEVER LIVE IN GERMANY.

"GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, BUT DO NOT LIVE IN GERMANY."

SO THERE WAS A VISCERAL HATRED, BUT I'M LIVING NOW

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE MY FATHER LIVED.

I SEE THESE SIGNS ON THE STREETS REMINDING ME CONSTANTLY

OF THE PAST.

I PASSED MY FATHER'S APARTMENT EVERY DAY.

THE GESTAPO WALKED IN HERE AND TOOK YOUR GREAT GRANDFATHER OUT,

AND TOOK HIM TO CONCENTRATION CAMP FROM HERE.

AND GRANDPA REMEMBERS IT.MM.

HE REMEMBERS THE GESTAPO COMING AND TAKING HIM AWAY.

I DID NOT HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT COMING TO GERMANY.

I VISITED BEFORE I CAME,

AND I DON'T KNOW ANY OTHER NATION

WHOSE IDENTITY IS BUILT ON ITS GUILT FOR WHAT IT'S DONE.

IT'S CENTRAL TO THE EDUCATION OF EVERY GERMAN

TO STUDY THE HOLOCAUST.

THEY REALLY HAVE TO LEARN IT.

AND THE SYSTEM IS USING THESE SITES

AS PART OF THEIR EFFORT TO BUILD AWARENESS

AND KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO.

I'M TRYING TO SEE IF I CAN RECOGNIZE MY GRANDFATHER.

AND DAVID HAS THIS INCREDIBLE PERSONAL HISTORY WITH GERMANY.

SO GOING TO A CAMP WHERE HIS GRANDFATHER WAS DETAINED,

IT'S MEANINGFUL.

THESE JEWISH PRISONERS WERE KEPT HERE WITHOUT ANY FURNITURE,

JUST A LITTLE BIT OF STRAW ON THE GROUND.

AND THEY HAD TO LAY DOWN WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE

UNDER TERRIBLE CONDITIONS, AND THE SS GUARDS

ENTERED THE HUTS EVERY NIGHT TO TORTURE THEM.

AND NEARLY EVERY NIGHT SOMEBODY WAS KILLED.

WE LIVE IN BERLIN,

AND THIS IS JUST OUTSIDE OF BERLIN.

WE HAVE THE PAST AROUND US, BUT IT'S EASY TO FORGET.

HERE, IT'S HARD TO FORGET.

TO HAVE DAVID IN FRONT OF THESE STUDENTS,

IT MAKES THE PLACE ALIVE AGAIN.

IT MAKES THE PLACE MORE REAL.

I'M A STRONG BELIEVER IN THE POTENTIAL FOR EDUCATION

TO REWIRE HOW WE THINK ABOUT CONFLICT,

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN MANY WAYS,

GERMANY'S APPROACH HAS BEEN EXEMPLARY

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SHY AWAY

FROM TEACHING THEIR MOST DIFFICULT HISTORY.

BUT THERE'S THIS INTERESTING REALITY WHERE YOU HAVE,

ON THE OTHER HAND, GERMANY IN GENERAL

TEACHING ABOUT THEIR MOST TROUBLED PAST OPENLY,

AND YOU HAVE THEM EMBRACING MUSLIM REFUGEES

DURING THE REFUGEE CRISIS,

BUT YOU ALSO HAVE ATTACKS ON REFUGEE CENTERS.

ONE OPEN QUESTION, I THINK, IS WHAT IS MOTIVATING

THAT SUBSET OF GERMANS TO VIOLENTLY REACT?

AND THERE'S THIS INTERESTING DISTINCTION

DRAWN BETWEEN GUILT AND SHAME.

GUILT IS SOMETHING YOU FEEL INSIDE,

WHEREAS SHAME IS SOMETHING YOU FEEL IMPOSED ON YOU,

SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE

THAT WHEN THEY'RE TAUGHT ALL THIS PAST HISTORY

THAT YOU FRAME IT IN SUCH A WAY TO SAY,

"LOOK. WE'RE NOT TEACHING YOU THIS

BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S YOUR FAULT.

WE'RE TEACHING YOU THIS SO THAT WE CAN AVOID

DOING THIS IN THE FUTURE."

I AM INCREASINGLY TAKEN WITH THE IDEA

THAT THE WAY YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO BEST OVERCOME HATE

IS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR OWN MINDS,

TO BECOME AWARE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL BIASES,

AND MAYBE IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF YOUR HATRED

FOR ANOTHER GROUP, YOU CAN GET PAST IT.

THIS APPROACH, I THINK, IS VERY IN LINE WITH MINDFULNESS.

COME ON IN, Y'ALL.

MINDFULNESS IS A PLAYBOOK FOR HOW TO BECOME SELF-AWARE,

TO GAIN CONSCIOUS CONTROL OVER THESE PROCESSES

THAT ARE NORMALLY UNCONSCIOUS.

THEN YOU CAN START LETTING GO OF ANGER, FOR EXAMPLE,

AND REPLACING IT WITH COMPASSION.

ALL RIGHT. EVERYBODY SIT STRAIGHT UP.

ALL RIGHT. INHALE DEEP.

EXHALE.

MY JOB IS TO GO TO SCHOOLS AND HELP AT-RISK YOUTHS,

GIVE THEM TOOLS TO COMBAT WITH THEIR ANGER.

I WILL GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HATE IS, RIGHT,

AND UNDERSTAND IT'S A NATURAL THING

THAT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU OR ANYBODY YOU KNOW.

IT'S HOW YOU DEAL WITH THAT HATE

THAT CHANGES THE OUTLOOK OF WHO YOU ARE

AND YOUR MORALS AND YOUR CODES AND WHATEVER YOU LIVE BY.

I LIKE YOUR MUSCLES, ANGELA.

YOU'RE PRETTY STRONG.

WHEN I GREW UP, BALTIMORE WAS PRETTY ROUGH.

TO YOUR LEFT.

MY DAD WAS KILLED WHEN I WAS IN THE SECOND GRADE.

EXHALE TO THE RIGHT.

HE GOT SHOT AND PUT INSIDE OF A CAR,

AND THE CAR GOT PUT ON FIRE.

THAT WAS, LIKE, A TURNING POINT FOR ME.

I JUST DIDN'T LIKE PEOPLE AT ALL.

I FELT AS THOUGH, LIKE, EVERYBODY WAS AGAINST EVERYBODY.

LIKE, NOBODY CARED FOR NOBODY.

I WAS IN A GANG AT A YOUNG AGE.

SOMEBODY LOOKED AT US WRONG, THERE WOULD BE,

LIKE, 10 OR 12 OF US, WE WOULD JUST JUMP THEM.

WHEN I WAS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,

WE WAS GOING AROUND BEATING PEOPLE UP BAD,

LACROSSE STICKS, ANYTHING WE COULD FIND.

YOU HAD A LOT OF ANGER, MAN, AND, LIKE,

ANYTHING THAT YOU COULD GET ANGRY ABOUT, YOU WOULD.

YOU WOULD BE READY TO, LIKE...

YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD REACT TO EVERYTHING WITH YOUR FISTS,

AND YOU WOULDN'T TRY TO RESOLVE ANY CONFLICTS.

ALI, ATMAN, AND ANDY,

WHICH ARE THE THREE FOUNDERS OF HOLISTIC LIFE FOUNDATION,

THEY WAS FROM THE SAME BLOCK THAT I'M FROM.

SO I MET UP WITH THEM, BASICALLY, BY THEM SEEING US,

YOU KNOW, BEING PROBLEMS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

AND THEM CARING ENOUGH TO WANT TO HELP US.

BUT THEY WAS TEACHING US, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE IT ON

UNTIL, YOU KNOW, I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO REALIZE, LIKE,

"HEY. WAIT. I'M DOING THIS WRONG."

HIS LEGS LOOK BROKE! LOOK AT HIS **** LEG!

THAT IS FREDDIE GRAY...

LOOK AT HIS **** LEG!

- THAT BOY'S LEG LOOK BROKE! - OH, MY GOD.

...BEING DETAINED A WEEK AGO BY BALTIMORE POLICE.

WHEN FREDDIE GRAY, YOU KNOW,

HAD PASSED AWAY, I FELT BAD FOR HIM.

I FELT BAD FOR HIS FAMILY,

AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OTHERS.

WE REPORT FROM BALTIMORE,

WHERE THE GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND

HAS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY

IN THE WAKE OF TODAY'S FUNERAL FOR A YOUNG MAN

WHO DIED OF SEVERE INJURIES WHILE IN POLICE CUSTODY.

THE REASON WHY PEOPLE WERE PROTESTING

BECAUSE THEY WAS TIRED OF POLICE BRUTALITY, FOR ONE,

AND THEY WERE TIRED OF NOT HAVING A SAY-SO

IN WHAT GOES ON IN BALTIMORE.

IT WAS JUST, LIKE, FINALLY, YOU KNOW,

THEY GOT A CHANCE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES,

BUT I WISH THEY WOULDN'T HAVE DID IT IN THAT WAY.

THE WHOLE FREDDIE GRAY UPRISING THING,

IT WAS JUST A CULMINATION OF A LOT OF,

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DEALING WITH UNDIAGNOSED TRAUMA AND STRESS.

HONESTLY, THAT TRAUMA KIDS DEAL WITH ALL THE TIME

BY, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVING THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET.

SO THE REASON WHY WE STARTED THE YOGA AND MINDFULNESS STUFF

IS BECAUSE OUR DAD KIND OF PLANTED THE SEED

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG. MM-HMM.

YOU KNOW, WE USED TO HAVE TO MEDITATE BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL,

AND PEOPLE USED TO COME UP TO US AND BE LIKE,

"YO, WHY Y'ALL SO HAPPY? Y'ALL BROKE AND EVERYTHING."

MM-HMM.

AND THEN WE USED TO ASK THEM, LIKE,

"WELL, WHY AREN'T Y'ALL HAPPY?"

AND THEN WE REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO START

TEACHING THE STUFF THAT KIND OF MADE US,

IN OUR INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT,

YOU KNOW, MORE PEACEFUL TO OTHER FOLKS.

WE DECIDED TO DO AN AFTER SCHOOL YOGA PROGRAM,

AND LIKE BACK THEN EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, YOGURT OR YODA.

LIKE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOGA WAS

BUT THEY SAW SOME POSITIVE MALE ROLE MODELS.

THE ATTENDANCE WAS GOING UP WITH THE STUDENTS,

AND PARENTS AND THE TEACHERS SAW THE CHANGE

AND WERE LIKE, "MAN, WHATEVER Y'ALL DOING, KEEP DOING IT."

KEEP DOING IT. UN-HUH.

AND NOW IT'S GREW INTO A LIFE OF ITS OWN,

AND LIKE, YEAH.

NOW YOU HAVE EMBODIED THE PRACTICE,

YOU TEACH THE PRACTICE. I DO.

A LOT OF US, NOT JUST ME.

EVERYBODY THAT CAME THROUGH THE DOORS.

THAT'S TRUE.

INHALE AND UP.

EXHALE ON DOWN.

I STARTED SEEING BENEFITS, LITERALLY,

PROBABLY LIKE TWO WEEKS AFTER I STARTED.

INHALE.

WHEN I WAS ANGRY, IT WAS LIKE -- IT WOULD BE A BLACKOUT MOMENT.

I WOULD JUST TRY TO REMEMBER WHAT I WAS GETTING

ANGRY ABOUT BEFORE, BUT I CAN'T. YOU GET WHAT I'M SAYING?

SO, WHEN I STARTED TO MEDITATE, I STARTED TO REALIZE,

LIKE, ARE YOU ANGRY NOW?

YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET ANGRY, SO YOU NEED TO CALM IT DOWN

OR JUST WALK AWAY AND DO SOMETHING.

SO WITH MEDITATION, IT HELPED ME OUT WITH THAT INSTANTLY.

INHALE AND BACK.

EXHALE FORWARD.

SINCE THEY STARTED THE HOLISTIC LIFE FOUNDATION

IN 2001, ATMAN, ALI, AND ANDY HAVE DEVELOPED PROGRAMS

THAT HAVE REACHED OVER 40,000 STUDENTS.

REMEMBER, DEEP BREATHING.

THE EFFECTS OF THIS KIND OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN LABORATORY STUDIES.

SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE

THAT IT ACTUALLY PRODUCES CHANGES IN THE BRAIN.

IT MAKES US REALIZE THAT THIS IS BIOLOGICAL,

AND THEREFORE WE HAVE THE POSSIBILITY

TO CHANGE THESE THINGS.

AND THERE ARE TWO MAJOR CIRCUITS IN THE BRAIN

THAT ARE IMPACTED BY MEDITATION

THAT WE CAN SAY WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE.

ONE ARE CIRCUITS THAT ARE IMPORTANT

FOR REGULATING ATTENTION,

AND THE OTHER ARE CIRCUITS

IMPORTANT FOR REGULATING EMOTION.

SO, WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS A PARTICIPANT

WHO IS IN THE SCANNER,

AND HER BRAIN IS CURRENTLY BEING SCANNED.

WE ARE LOOKING AT TWO SPECIFIC BRAIN REGIONS.

ONE IS IN THE AREA OF THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX,

WHICH IS INVOLVED IN EMOTION REGULATION.

THIS IS CALLED THE VENTROMEDIAL PREFRONTAL AREA,

AND THIS AREA IN GREEN IS THE AMYGDALA.

THE AMYGDALA IS AN AREA WE KNOW TO BE INVOLVED IN EMOTION.

IT'S AN AREA VERY STRONGLY ACTIVATED BY FEAR,

AND THE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THESE REGIONS

IS SIGNIFICANTLY STRENGTHENED IN THE LONG-TERM MEDITATORS

COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS WHO ARE JUST LEARNING TO MEDITATE,

AND THIS IS ONE OF THE KEY CHANGES

THAT WE BELIEVE IS PRODUCED

BY SIMPLE FORMS OF MINDFULNESS TRAINING.

ALL RIGHT.

ON YOUR BACK FOR EVERYBODY FAVORITE TIME OF THE DAY.

WITH MINDFULNESS, THERE ARE CHANGES IN THE BRAIN

THAT CAN BE SEEN WITH

AS LITTLE AS 7 HOURS OF CUMULATIVE PRACTICE.

BEFORE WE INHALE, I JUST WANT YOU TO PULL IN PEACE,

POSITIVITY, AND LOVE.

BEFORE WE EXHALE, I JUST WANT YOU

TO LET GO OF ANY ANGER, ANY STRESS,

ANYTHING THAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK FROM BEING GREAT

IN WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR BODY.

WHEN THESE DIFFICULT EMOTIONS ARISE,

SUCH AS HATE, WE CAN SEE THEM AS EMOTIONS.

AND RATHER THEN GETTING SWEPT UP IN THE TURBULENT RIVER,

WE CAN BE ON THE SHORE OF THAT RIVER WATCHING IT GO BY.

ALL RIGHT. NOW I WANT YOU TO GET A PICTURE IMAGE

OF A PERSON THAT YOU LOVE,

SOMEONE THAT YOU HOLD DEAR TO YOUR HEART.

FOR EVERY EXHALE, I JUST WANT YOU TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION

TO SEND THAT PERSON SOME LOVE.

SEND THAT PERSON SOME LOVE.

I WOULD SAY MINDFULNESS IS, YOU KNOW, HAVING THE ABILITY

TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S DIFFERENCES IN LIFE,

BUT WE ARE ALL ONE AT THE SAME TIME.

I TELL THE STUDENTS. I'LL BE LIKE, "LISTEN. BE A SCIENTIST.

FIGURE OUT HOW IT WORK FOR YOU.

DON'T JUST LISTEN TO ME TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO.

FIGURE OUT WHAT IT DOES FOR YOU,

AND THEN YOU BENEFIT FROM IT THAT WAY."

NOW I WANT YOU TO GET A PICTURE IMAGE OF SOMEBODY

THAT YOU DON'T GET ALONG WITH,

SOMEBODY THAT YOU'RE NOT REAL CLOSE WITH.

FOR EVERY EXHALE, I WANT YOU TO SEND THAT PERSON SOME LOVE, TOO.

GO AROUND THE ROOM JUST TELLING ME HOW YOU FEEL.

YOU FEEL GOOD? ALL RIGHT.

- RELIEVED. - RELIEVED.

- RELAXED. - RELAXED.

- RELAXED. - RELAXED.

- PEACEFUL. - PEACEFUL.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY ABOUT TEACHING THIS STUFF?

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I JUST WANTED TO FEEL LIKE

I HAD SOMEBODY THAT, YOU KNOW, CARED ABOUT ME,

SO ME BEING ABLE TO SHOW THEM THAT, YOU KNOW,

I CARE ABOUT THEM AND I REALLY WANT TO SEE THEM

DO WELL IN LIFE, IT REALLY, YOU KNOW,

BRIGHTENS MY DAY UP, MAKE ME HAPPY.

THE REASON THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT MINDFULNESS

AS AN APPROACH IS THAT IT IS MAKING YOU CONSCIOUSLY AWARE

OF EMOTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND

OF YOUR MIND YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.

THAT'S CRAZY AND WONDERFUL ABOUT HUMANITY,

THAT WE CAN BE PRACTICING SOMETHING

IN THE BACKGROUND OF OUR MINDS,

AND THEN YOU CAN LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT IT,

AND YOU CAN CHANGE.

BUT IF WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT CHANGING SOCIETY,

WE WANT TO HAVE AS MANY TECHNIQUES IN THE TOOL CHEST

AS POSSIBLE,

AND I SEE SCIENCE AS SUCH A VALUABLE TOOL IN THIS PROCESS.

WITH THE INTERVENTION IN COLOMBIA,

I'VE CREATED DIFFERENT VIDEOS,

AND I CAN SEE WHICH ONE MIGHT HAVE AN EFFECT

ON PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS PEACE.

I DID THE FIRST ONE JUST WITH FARC MEMBERS,

BUT WHEN I PUT MYSELF IN THE SHOES OF A SKEPTIC COLOMBIAN,

I MIGHT THINK THAT THIS IS JUST ALL PROPAGANDA,

AND SO I SENT THE FILM CREW BACK TO TALK TO THE VILLAGERS

AND THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY.

AND THE RESPONSES WERE ENTIRELY CORROBORATORY.

WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT ALL THE VIDEOS

DID A DECENT JOB OF DECREASING PEOPLE'S DEHUMANIZATION OF FARC.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE VIDEO CHANGES PERCEPTIONS

BY ABOUT 20 POINTS ON THE SCALE.

IT'S A HUGE SHIFT.

WE'VE NEVER CREATED AN INTERVENTION

THAT'S COME CLOSE TO THIS LEVEL OF EFFECT FOR ANY CONTEXT.

AND WE COMPARED HOW...

THIS IS SCIENCE IN THE MESSY, REAL WORLD.

THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO FIND SOMETHING

THAT MIGHT GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT STRATEGY MIGHT WORK BEST,

AND THEN, CAN YOU USE IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS

AND HAVE SIMILAR EFFECTS?

CAN YOU SCALE IT UP?

THIS IS THE WAY THAT WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS

AND SO THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL KNOW MUCH MORE

ABOUT HOW TO RESOLVE CONFLICT THAN WE DO NOW.

WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE PROCESS TO SPEAK OF,

THERE IS THIS.

AS A GLOBAL SOCIETY,

WE'VE BEEN DOING PEACE-BUILDING PROGRAMS FOR OVER 60 YEARS,

BUT WE HAVE VERY LITTLE IDEA

OF WHAT REALLY WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T.

SO MY GOAL IS THAT 60 YEARS FROM NOW,

I WANT TO KNOW MUCH MORE THAN WE KNOW NOW.

GET OFF!

GET THEM OFF OF US! GET THEM OFF!

I HAVE THIS STRONG BELIEF

THAT SCIENCE IS A REALLY POWERFUL TOOL TO USE

TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT'S DRIVING CONFLICT

AND HOW WE CAN GET PAST IT.

THIS ISN'T JUST THE STORY

OF THE DERADICALIZATION OF ONE EXTREMIST.

IT'S ABOUT THE POWER OF COMPASSION AND ENGAGEMENT

TO BRIDGE DIVIDES THAT SEEM UNBRIDGEABLE.

WE HAVE TO GO AND HAVE THOSE REAL CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE.

YOU JUST HAVE TO MEET THEM AS A HUMAN BEING.

I'VE SHARED THIS VISION WITH DOZENS OF PEOPLE,

FELLOW SCIENTISTS,

PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING IN ACTUAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION,

AND THEY'VE HELPED SHAPE WHAT THE VISION LOOKS LIKE.

I REALIZE THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GATHER THESE PEOPLE TOGETHER

SO THAT ALL OF US COULD BE IN A COMMON ORBIT

AROUND A SHARED VISION.

THIS IS JUST WHAT I FEEL EVERY DAY

WHEN I'M DOING THIS RESEARCH.

LIKE, THAT'S WHY I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT IT

IS BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE IT HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

I'M JUST SO THRILLED TO BE WORKING WITH YOU ALL

BECAUSE WE ALL SHARE

THIS SPARK.

OKAY, SO FIRST...

OKAY, I KNOW THIS IS SHOCKING AND UNFAIR,

BUT THIS IS WHAT HAS LENT ME,

YOU KNOW, THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW.

THIS IS MY BRAIN,

OR AT LEAST MY BRAIN BEFORE FRIDAY,

AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TUMOR THAT'S THERE.

THIS IS NOT SELF-PITY.

IT'S NOT SADNESS.

ALL RIGHT?

THIS IS A REALIZATION THAT I GOT FROM MY MOM,

WHICH IS EVEN WHEN SHE WAS

IN THE PITS OF DESPAIR,

SHE ONLY GAVE ME LIGHT,

AND THIS HAS GIVEN ME A LOT OF CLARITY.

WE ALL HERE ARE INTERESTED IN INTERGROUP CONFLICTS.

THIS IS A BIG SOCIETAL PROBLEM, LIKE CANCER.

THIS ALSO HAS A BIOLOGICAL BASIS,

AND SO IF WE WERE TO TREAT THIS EXACTLY LIKE CANCER RESEARCH,

WE WOULD DO EXACTLY THE SAME THING.

SO MY WORLD IS SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY,

COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, AND IT'S AWESOME.

THERE'S REALLY COOL STUFF GOING ON THERE.

YOU HAVE THIS OTHER WORLD

THAT'S A BUNCH OF THESE GREAT ORGANIZATIONS,

AND I THOUGHT, "OKAY, WELL, THIS IS BASICALLY HOW IT'S BEEN

FOR 50 YEARS," RIGHT?

SPINNING YOUR WHEELS ON ONE SIDE,

SPINNING YOUR WHEELS ON THE OTHER.

IF WE ARE TO USE SCIENCE TO ACTUALLY HAVE

AN EFFECT ON CONFLICT, WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT

HOW TO PUSH THESE FINDINGS IN THIS DIRECTION.

THEN YOU START BUILDING INTERVENTIONS.

CAN YOU THEN TAKE THEM INTO THE MESSY, REAL WORLD

AND SEE IF THEY ACTUALLY WORK?

SO THIS IS A TOUGH FIGHT AGAINST INTERGROUP CONFLICT,

BUT ISN'T IT WORTH THAT TYPE OF EFFORT?

ISN'T IT WORTH THAT TYPE OF FIGHT?

- ALL RIGHT. - WELL, I LOVE YOU, BRO.

- YOU KNOW THAT. - YEAH, YOU, TOO, BUDDY. YEAH.

THERE'S A LOT WE'RE GOING TO DO TOGETHER IN THE TIME AHEAD...

- YEP, YEP. - ...WHICH IS GOOD.

SEE YOU SOON.

I'VE NEVER BEEN CONVINCED BY THAT ARGUMENT,

THAT INDIVIDUALS DON'T HAVE POWER TO CHANGE OTHERS.

IT'S REALLY WARM.

SOMETIMES IT'S JUST I WAS TREATED DECENTLY BY SOMEONE

WHOSE DECENCY I DIDN'T DESERVE.

SOMETIMES IT'S MAKING A COMMENT,

MAKING SOMEONE REALIZE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BIAS THEY HAVE,

AND THEN THEY CARRY THAT WITH THEM,

AND THEN THEY PASS IT ONTO OTHERS.

YOUR BRAIN IS MADE TO CHANGE,

AND I THINK PSYCHOLOGICALLY,

WE CAN BE KIND OF AFRAID OF CHANGE.

BUT ONCE YOU, I THINK, EMBRACE THIS IDEA THAT,

"OH, THIS IS THE OTHER EVOLUTIONARY LEGACY

I'VE BEEN GIVEN, ASIDE FROM THIS LEGACY

TOWARDS GROUP CONFLICT,"

ONCE YOU GET INTERESTED IN HOW YOU CHANGE

RATHER THAN AFRAID,

THEN I THINK EVERYTHING OPENS UP.