What if Irony is Judging Others for Lacking Empathy?
Love is a force that can hold the space between “self” and “other.”
Relationship is the quality of space between “self” and “other.”
Being in love with an “other,”
and having a good relationship with them
are two different issues.
Whether the “other” is people, work, things, etc…
A common inner conflict revolves around these two thoughts:
It may seem like these two thoughts cannot be thought by the same person.
Yet they are often thought by the same person at the same time.
That’s why it is an inner conflict.
Our inner conflict often takes the form of a paradox.
When laid out logically, paradoxes will not make sense.
By connecting what may seem like contradictory perspectives through empathy,
we can give birth to what we call creativity.
It is through such act of creation,
that paradoxes dissolve itself,
leaving behind a sense of clarity and understanding.
We appreciate growth
when we grow on our timeline
in the direction we want to grow.
If we force others’ growth
to satisfy our own need for contribution,
no matter how good our intentions,
it’ll likely be unappreciated.
In fact,
others may even rebel
and do exactly the opposite of what we wish.
What a waste of time and effort, no?
I was recently invited to run a workshop on Diversity & Inclusion.
I was surprised by the feedback.
The feedback emphasized how much people appreciated feeling safe enough to vulnerably express themselves.
I believe Diversity & Inclusion is about empathy.
If a workshop is run with empathy,
safety is a natural byproduct.
I took that for granted.
I’ve since learned that many Diversity & Inclusion workshops don’t make people feel safe.
In fact, it shames people for “lacking empathy,”
then tries to force them to “fix” their unconscious biases.
That shocked me.
Thanks to Craig Cmehill for recommending me to run this workshop.
Thanks to Janice Levenhagen-Seeley for inviting me.
This experience has opened my eyes in ways I didn’t expect.