Our inability to have tough conversations has undermined our collective ability to lead.  Perhaps technology is to blame, or hubris, or ignorance, or the devaluing of the liberal arts.  Regardless, the point remains: we have lost the ability to engage in difficult dialogue. The consequences of this lost ability are significant, and obvious.  Our politics have devolved into name calling.  People are leaving organized religion in droves, arguably because the tough questions keep getting swept under the rug.  And our