If I’ve learned anything over the past few days – which have been different levels of “difficult” on just about everyone I know – it’s that the specific ways we communicate, & the specific words we use are SO important.
Maybe I’m an idealist, but it appears to me that even w all the unrest, if you listen to the CORE messages that so many are trying to communicate, members of our communities who would appear to be “at odds” with one another on philosophy, are actually not that far apart.
Communication unfortunately is happening primarily through social media (character limits & pictures alone), media outlets (who have motivation in showing biases from diff directions), & shouting at one another at demonstrations. How can we come together as a community/society if those are the forms of communication we are relying on!?
We worked on & chose this logo for a series of chats we will have on Live platforms – long form chats, to get into the actual nuances of philosophies & feelings. We’ll share the logos of the orgs we will be having discussions w, along w this logo.
The only way we come together is by Hearing Each Other Out: where certain phrases come from…where certain emotional charges come from…where certain protests & actions come from – & the “why” behind them.
This will roll out next week, & we will have different individuals & groups with different vantage points, each share & shed light on the above topics & questions that so many have (these questions have been asked of me, so I’m sure they’ve been asked of many of you).
How can we all come together if we are making assumptions/guesses that come w an emotional charge, without better knowing the full background? We can’t. These talks won’t be easy, & there may not be 100% agreement in all of the topics/convos, but they will be meaningful (& I’m confident they will be productive).
If we can push towards one tribe when it comes to mental health, we can use that rallying cry to push for one tribe, generally – where we treat everyone with the respect – which as human beings, is something we all deserve.
