Today would have been Ahmaud Arbery’s 26th birthday. Instead, as you probably have heard, he died in February, while out for a run.My life has undergone an absolute transformation in the past 5 years. I view the world, and pretty much everything about it, differently. Why? Because I sat down with myself and truly attempted to view the world through the eyes of others. When people told me about their experience, I believed them. When people shared their pain, I took that offering in trust, and committed to try and fully hear what they were saying.
It’s hard. It is hard to understand perspectives different from your own. People whose experience of the world is not the day to day reality you live in. People who have gone through things you can’t imagine, and perhaps made decisions you do not think you would have made. People who tell of a reality where maybe you yourself are not cast in the best light. Yet, in reality, the life that you live is utterly different than mine. It is utterly different than even that of a person of another gender who lives a very similar life to yours, or that of someone from a different generation. We all encounter the same reality through different lenses, and having the willingness, patience and compassion to try and see the world from that point of view has incomparable value.
I am not trying to act like I am better than, more fully evolved, or more sensitive than anyone else. I mess up, and stick my foot in my mouth- a lot. I have had LOTS of helpers who guided me along this path, and lots of patient truthtellers who still do. But making the promise to myself that I would try and see the world from other perspectives has made all the difference. And, when I sat down and really thought about it, believing people just makes sense. Many times the truths they are trying to tell come at a cost to themselves, in reputation, in jobs, or in public respect. The least I can do is sit down and truly listen with an open mind.
Here are some of my beginning guides to learning to view the world from someone else’s eyes…
BOOKS. Where else can you live a completely other life than your own?
Speeches. Reading through the famous speeches, letters, and publications of the Civil Rights Era, and even Emancipation has been world changing.
Podcasts. There are many, many podcasts that interpret the world from other points of view. Listen and learn.
Classes- the Racial Equity Institute does 2 day trainings several times a year, hosted by Neighbors For Better Neighborhood. It’s life changing. TED Talks are free, and cover an unimaginable range of topics. Watch documentaries. Listen to (non American) news.
Friendships. Make friends who are different from you. Who vote differently. Who are of a different generation, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic class. Who may have come here from another country or place in the world. Listen before you speak. Hold their trust with safe hands.
Why did we start this group? Because we listened to our friends in the medical field who were telling us how scared they were without PPE. And we believed them. We started sewing, and, together, we are changing our little nook of the world. Imagine if we heard others, believed them, and put our hands to action- WHAT COULD WE ACCOMPLISH???
JoyPlusGrace 