The Basis of the Witness Institute Approach

The Basis of
Witness Institute’s
Approach

The basis for this site and our work in general is a theory about moral transformation and moral leadership. I am obsessed with the mechanics of moral transformation: how does it take place, beyond cliches and platitudes? At a granular level, how do we change? How can we understand this better in order to operationalize and share it?

Building on Professor Wiesel’s example and teachings, my hypothesis is that the key to moral transformation is Memory. Memory means knowledge of the past, yes. But it also means the empathic encounter with stories that change you, that affect your mind, heart, body, nervous system. These stories, which you carry with you as a presence in your life, make it more likely that you will act with humanity, compassion, courage.

This is how we move from being a spectator to being a witness, over and over again: by hearing, carrying, and telling powerful stories about kindness, courage, justice, compassion, moral heroism, moral choice, even moral failure. We allow these stories to guide us, remind us, challenge us to be better.

The difference between a spectator and a witness? A spectator views events from a distance, without any feeling of responsibility. A witness feels implicated and must respond to events, whether near or far. A witness doesn’t sleep well knowing that people are suffering.

A witness refuses to look away.

It is difficult not to look away, not to numb ourselves. In our society many of us are trained to numb or distract ourselves from an early age. What does it take to not look away? Once we are living with a lifelong commitment to memory, once we have encountered stories that change us, once we have decided that we want to live an awakened life of sensitivity to others, how do we not go back to sleep? How do we not drift back into the spectator role? And how do we not fall into despair when we see so much suffering?

This requires hope,
a fierce commitment to hope.

Hope is the first moral choice. It is what allows you to not look away from suffering. It is what helps you not to be overwhelmed. As soon as you turn to face suffering, you are confronted with the temptation to despair. If you give in to despair, you join the ranks of the indifferent. You stop helping. The despair of masses of people is what allows evil to remain unchallenged.

Hope is a choice, “a gift we give to one another” (Elie Wiesel), and an important weapon in our battles against injustice and inhumanity.

Choosing hope, and cultivating our joy, again and again is a critical move in our repertoire as aspiring moral change agents and leaders.