4 ms·
Choosing action out of fear of what may come, as opposed to finding a loving solution with an eye to the past, present, and future, is less likely to produce de
by crawfordcomeaux 8y ago
Choosing action out of fear of what may come, as opposed to finding a loving solution with an eye to the past, present, and future, is less likely to produce desirable and sustainable outcomes.
If we keep avoiding having conversations geared toward developing mutual understanding and respect vs trying to be right or change other people, we'll collectively regress further.
- api 8y agoI hope you are right, but all it takes is a visit to any large social media site or 30 minutes of watching political news (any political news) to renew my cynicism. I really don't see anyone anywhere who is even interested in the truth. People want their side to win for non-rational emotional reasons. They're only interested in what truths can be cherry picked or spun to support their cause. Truths that don't support the cause are ignored and denied.
- crawfordcomeaux 8y agoAbsolutely. The rise of Trump and the alt-right shows how shame is an unsustainable mechanism for social change, though most people in the US still seem to be applying shame/outrage. Trump and Russian bots have also shown how emotionally reactive we are, as a people. I see this as the result of us not teaching emotional responsibility and boundaries as part of normative cultures. Learning and practicing nonviolent communication is how I started learning to navigate my emotions at age 33. 2.5 years later and my life is completely different, as a result. I highly recommend it for anyone who's having difficulty witnessing where humanity is presently at. Also, turn off the news and social media while learning it. Learning to be different from the norm can be really hard when the norm's so persistently reinforced. Besides, if I can't read something without maintaining a mindful perspective, I'm not ready to clearly think about it, much less choose a loving response in action/word to it. If I can't affect the world in a loving, sustainable way, I prefer to get myself into a headspace where I can, rather than react.
- api 8y agoI totally agree about shame. I've been going on for a while about what I call "abstinence based environmental policy," which is trying to shame people into being poorer to save the Earth. It works about as well as shaming teens into not having sex, hence the analogy.
- worder 8y ago>Learning and practicing nonviolent communication You mean you stopped beating people up?