There's a kind of thinking that blocks the light
And makes me uptight
That sees two colors, just black and just white
That looks through the lens of what’s wrong and what’s right
And always is ready to run or to fight
It’s the kind of thinking that’s easy to see in Donald Trump, but not as easy to observe within myself.
I’ve been playing a game lately that helps me get free of that kind of black and white, us versus them thinking.
The game is to look at something or someone that I have strong opinions or feelings about, and state my righteous, rigid and frigid opinion to myself, as if I am placing it in my right hand.
Then I open the palm of my left hand and say, “On the other hand…” and force myself to see it from another point of view.
And maybe even stretch a little more to include one more point of perspective that might have some validity for some folks.
Suddenly it’s no longer a black and white issue, There are grey areas, maybe even some colors. I have less enemy images in my head, and more room to see the humanity in people who don't share my opinions.
The more I honor the possible validity of more than my own cherished point of view, the more my mind, and thus my heart, opens.
Being polarized sucks.
The North Pole and the South Pole on this earth have one thing in common: they are both freaking ass cold.
We can all bring some warmth to the current polarized political climate by playing this game, which pours the warmth of empathy onto our ego ice caps, ice that needs melting if we are going to become more fluid. Because becoming more fluid leads us right to...solutions!
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