Bad othering is harming us all: we can change this. Whether you celebrate Advent and Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, or perhaps simply December, with its growing depth and darkness, its opportunities for quiet reflection, and the promise of light returning, the way we relate to ourselves and to the “others” in our lives will affect all of us deeply.
The season at hand is at core an invitation to love and care, give and share. Let us take these opportunities to reduce “othering”, to build bridges, to seek and find the common ground we so very much need going forward. I suggest Tara Brach’s talk, Awakening From the Trance of Bad-Othering.
It’s clearly what we all need, most certainly in our personal lives, but also in our aching, polarized culture. Bad othering is harming us all: we can change this.
Rick Hanson offers a lovely way to actively invite connection — here you will find his 2021 version of 12 Good Things, and it offers ample opportunities to dive into other worlds, other cultures, other values and visions. Ket us find sweet ways to connect and care. Yeah!
It will help us to tap into gratitude and appreciation for what’s here now: for this wild and precious life we have been given, and this fragile yet resilient, magnificent, and awe-inspiring planet we share.
May we find the courage and wisdom to envision a better world, and to do our part, as we see fit and as is possible, to help create it. We can find the ways and means that suit us, that enrich us as we serve the greater good.
Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, andgrowth. Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook.
