Less Hate and More Tolerance
Remembering others are “just like me” erases the divide
I am concerned about the state of the world and dismayed at the divisiveness and hate. It is too easy to fall into the habit of “othering” when the world feels in peril. We need someone to blame, so others who are different are an easy target. We are being encouraged to see each other as the problem, and it is easy to think of the “other” as less than human when we make them responsible for our ills. We all do it, to some degree or other.
Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist nun, teacher, and writer has a practice that she uses to nip that tendency in the bud. The practice is called “Just like me.”
It is so easy to forget that everyone is basically the same. We all want to feel safe, loved, and worthy. We want to be free from fear, worry and pain. We want to feel like we make a difference in the world. We are all humans who are just trying to figure out how to be happy.
It is easy to dismiss others when their way of trying to find happiness looks so different from our way. It is easy to call people idiots, to deride their intelligence, to see them as the problem when we are struggling to find the things we need to feel secure and safe in our world.
