Love and Understanding

Several years back, during a heated presidential election, I stumbled upon an interview that deeply resonated with me. The expert discussing our nation's political landscape warned of a troubling trend: the creation of an "other" side.

“They don’t understand us!” 
“They want to take that away from us!” 
“They are wrong!” 
“How dare they do that to us!”
“They can’t possibly know what it’s like to be us!”

It's frighteningly easy to fall into the trap of demonizing the "other" side, breeding contempt. But do we truly want contempt to rule our lives? Are we aware of how often we choose contempt?

I often wonder, who exactly makes up the “other” side?  And more often than not, I realize that the "other" is closer than we think – they're our friends, our family, our neighbors. They surround us.

As heavy as all of this can feel, I can't help but wonder: What can break the cycle of contempt that's taken root on a national level? Over time, the answer has become clear to me: love and understanding.

If someone can hate without reason, then surely I can love without reason. Your existence alone deems you worthy of care, compassion, understanding, and love. When we peel back the labels and stereotypes that our culture loves to assign to us, we reveal the beauty of our shared humanity, complete with all its pain and struggles.

Love is where all new things begin.

When we resolve to love those around us, the natural next step is often a genuine desire to understand.  Our current culture’s aim, across many subjects, is to be right.  To prove our point and to maintain a self of security.

How more effective our discussions would be if we sought to understand the person in front of us – truly understand them. To listen not with a dismissive heart, but with a genuine curiosity about why they hold the beliefs they do.

This is the work that changes things. It changes our relationships, our perspectives…it changes us.  When we work to undo our sometimes subconscious limiting ways of thinking, we can finally step into our power and our peace.