Picture Credits – Jeannie Selda
“Don’t believe everything you are told. Part of embodying your innate intelligence is
to build bridges of understanding, not to collect evidence for your righteousness.”
– Jennifer Hough
I definitely get frustrated watching people express their opinions, and then dig in when they hear another who doesn’t agree. Something in my body says, “This just doesn’t feel right,” when people start to argue for their sides instead of actually trying to find a way to understand each other.
I was listening to a great audiobook by Brene Brown, from her book Braving the Wild. It was about how we divide, and how those in power want to fuel the demonization of “others” (whoever they are). She shared that you are “the other” for some, I am “the other” for many, and so on and so on. Once you make “the other” somehow less human, or present, or evolved than you, you now have permission to be awful to them, whether internally or overtly.
Shortly after listening to the book, I found this post online; the teacher who did this exercise with her class was FLAMING BRILLIANT! What a great example for her students, who will never forget about playing power games, and losing compassion and connection with your fellow humans.
It doesn’t matter which side you, your parents, your friends, politicians, or experts are on. You can collect evidence for any reality. The only reality that matters is to let love win in your every action, word and deed.
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“One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson in her daughter’s high school class this winter. They’re learning about the Salem Witch Trials, and their teacher told them they were going to play a game.
‘I’m going to come around and whisper to each of you whether you’re a witch or a regular person. Your goal is to build the largest group possible that does NOT have a witch in it. At the end, any group found to include a witch gets a failing grade.’
The teens dove into grilling each other. One fairly large group formed, but most of the students broke into small, exclusive groups, turning away anyone they thought gave off even a hint of guilt.
‘Okay,’ the teacher said. ‘You’ve got your groups.Time to find out which ones fail. All witches, please raise your hands.”
No one raised a hand.
The kids were confused and told him he’d messed up the game.
‘Did I? Was anyone in Salem an actual witch? Or did everyone just believe what they’d been told?’
And that is how you teach kids how easy it is to divide a community.”
Credit: Source Unknown
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Keep being welcoming, beautiful people. Shunning, scapegoating and causing division destroys far more than they protect.
Chastising others happens when we feel like victims and we are afraid.
Finding common ground, and remaining curious in our quest for understanding, is how we lead, build bridges and remain Agents of Awakening.
And you know me, I’m all about bridges!
With love,
Jennifer
xoxoxo
