Wiser World

Most of us think peacemaking means keeping the peace — avoiding conflict, not ruffling feathers, smoothing things over. But what if that's actually not peacemaking?

In this episode, I sit down with Steven Collis — law professor, First Amendment scholar, and author of Habits of a Peacemaker — to dig into what productive dialogue actually looks like in real life. Not in a boardroom or a courtroom, but in your home, your family, your neighborhood.

We talk about why intellectual humility is the foundation of everything, how to reframe a conversation from a fight into a treasure hunt, why you probably don't need a strong opinion on most things, and what it actually means to listen — not just wait for your turn to talk.

This one is packed. I think you're going to love it.

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TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] — Why keeping the peace isn't the same as making peace

[01:30] — Introducing Steven Collis and how he got interested in peacemaking

[03:37] — What is peacemaking, really? Steven reframes it as "productive discourse"

[06:32] — Intellectual humility: the most important habit of a peacemaker

[07:40] — How to hold humility and conviction at the same time

[11:27] — Do you actually need an opinion on everything? (Probably not.)

[12:41] — Reframing conversations as a treasure hunt for understanding

[14:44] — Live example: how to defuse a heated argument as a third party

[19:02] — Real learning vs. being fed: how peacemakers gather information

[22:06] — How to navigate media bias and find overlap across opposing sources

[25:35] — Why you should hunt for the best argument against your own position

[30:48] — Comment sections, bots, and why online arguing is mostly a waste of your life

[34:11] — What to do when someone comes at you hard — and how to reframe it

[35:04] — What happens when someone genuinely won't engage? Is there a point of no return?

[38:50] — The lost art of pausing before you respond

[42:35] — Active listening: why most of us are terrible at it and how to get better

[50:41] — Going into a conversation with an open mind — what that actually looks like

[52:20] — Is peacemaking being weaponized? When "don't stir things up" becomes avoidance

[55:31] — The difference between being a peacemaker and being a pushover

[1:04:45] — How to have productive dialogue with someone who has more power than you

[1:09:48] — Finding where the real disagreement actually lives

[1:13:00] — If you remember one thing: don't give up on becoming a peacemaker

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Five macro-level lessons I have learned from studying Iran's history.

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Today's guest, Sahar Delijani, is the author of Children of the Jacaranda Tree, an internationally acclaimed novel, translated into 32 languages and published in more than 75 countries. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, LARB, Jewish Currents, BOMB, McSweeney’s and elsewhere. Her second novel, For Every Person You Kill, is forthcoming in Spring 2027.

In this episode, Sahar shares her family’s story — including being born in Evin Prison — and reflects on Iranian identity, cultural resilience, and the role of joy, history, and women in today’s movement for freedom. We also discuss what solidarity can look like from the international community, and how stories and literature can help humanize a struggle that’s often reduced to geopolitics.

Find additional resources, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and support the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/wiserworldpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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This is Part 3 of 3 of the Iran 101 series: a foundational history of Iran for those who know little to nothing about it. This episode covers 1981 to early 2026.

Sources used in making this episode.

Find additional resources, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and support the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/wiserworldpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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This is Part 2 of 3 of the Iran 101 series: a foundational history of Iran for those who know little to nothing about it. This episode covers 1953 to 1980.

Sources used in making this episode.

Find additional resources, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, PDF timelines, and support the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/wiserworldpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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