The consensus is, Fairman deserves World Peace award

As an undergraduate student at Harvard University, David Fairman traveled to India, where he was taken aback by how villagers' lives were so monetarily poor but culturally rich.

"The experience changed my life," Fairman said. "I had enjoyed a privileged upbringing in Long Island. I came back puzzling over how the world can be so unequal."

Determined to help the poor in the United States, Fairman discovered he had a skill and passion for mediation while helping landlords and low-income tenants achieve compromise in Somerville.

Since that time, he has dedicated his career to mediating public policy, social services, and development disputes, both domestically and overseas.

Now managing director of international programs at the Consensus Building Institute in Cambridge and a resident of Lexington, Fairman was recently presented with the Rotary Club of Lexington's inaugural World Peace and Understanding Award.

"For any of us who are sure we're in the right and someone else is in the wrong," Fairman said, "it's useful to step back and decide what we really want to achieve and how much we care about the relationship beyond this set of issues. It's common sense, but it's amazing how smart people can let emotions blind them to what's really important."

CINDY CANTRELL