Believing one’s ethnic, cultural, religious, class, racial and/or physically-mentally fit group is superior to all others is something many of us are conditioned to do. In fact, we sometimes enjoy it. It makes us feel safe to fit into cultural norms that most people in our society agree upon. We feel this superiority in our bones and we subconsciously (or consciously) use our own group as the ideal standard against which we negatively measure other individuals and groups. This is “othering” – and we all fall victim to it, or perpetuate it, in some way or another. How have you been othered? By bearing witness to our experiences with “othering,” and sharing this with others, we can grow compassion and empathy. This, in turn, can become the foundation for building beloved community that fosters social justice, equity and inclusion. Our differences are bountiful and our differences are beautiful, but only if we make the radical choice to see them this way.
Please send me a link to your 8/16/2020 service. I am interested in your church and particularly how to be trained in Restorative Justice. Thank you, Cheryl
We have a training session coming up. Join us Aug 30th 12 noon for a reflective listening practice session! More info during this service! ❤️