S2 E32 Us Versus Them

Having a divisive mentality that puts us on opposing sides has become a norm for us. We are used to categorizing ourselves as polar opposites, and subsequently, are having a hard time finding a middle ground of unity.

Looking at things in an "Us vs Them" frame of mind keeps us stuck. It stunts our growth, our creativity, and our ability to have compassion for others. It oversimplifies issues, people, and causes. How many times are we trying to be “not them” that we end up becoming like “them” through our judgment. An Us vs Them approach will almost always expose our hypocrisy. 

It can also have a tendency to make things appear more dire. We begin to alter our mindset into thinking ourselves we need to stay away from “them”, saying things like “they” are so wicked, “The world” is so awful. Etc

So, today we are exploring ways to help us dissolve this mentality and move toward unifying frame of mind by concentrating on the only things we can do to contribute to the cause, which is to thoughtfully examine ourselves.

MIND: Practice “Intervism”

The term intervism comes from author Elizabeth Lesser. To define intervism, we must first look at activism. Activism is an action you take to support or oppose one side of a (usually controversial issue). An action outside yourself. If we only focus on what is happening outside of us, we can miss the glaringly obvious that can be happening internally. That's where intervism comes to play!

Intervism is looking inside at our own personal prejudices, judgments, and biases. If we are only engaging in activism, we are losing sight of the importance of being able to take responsibility for how WE think ad behave. (Activism is equally as important, because it elicits change outside of us, however, in an Us vs. Them frame of mind, it's typically much more comfortable to be able to see problems outside of us-- with the "other side" rather than facing the uncomfortable truth of how we are contributing from our position.)

BODY: Find interest in new perspectives

If we are finding ourselves deep in Us vs Them, chances are we can't even begin to fathom seeing the "other side's" point of view. Which means we are probably living in some sort of an echo chamber... and our biases are getting deeper and deeper.

We aren't meant to all have the same thoughts on everything. We are not cookies cutters, we are human beings with different experiences, families, cultures, and knowledge. To come closer to a place of understanding, we need to expand our viewpoints. 

This might look like: reading a book, listening to a podcast, talking to someone new, seeking to understand, asking questions our of curiosity-- leaving the judgment behind!

Be open for finding truth in something that you don't immediately agree with. Allow yourself to become an extreme listener. Listening to the experiences of someone you consciously or unconsciously believe to be different than you can open your mind and heart to them.

"It's hard to hate close up." (Brene Brown)

PURPOSE: Remember our common humanity

We are all much more alike than we are different. A lot of times, even if we are on opposite sides of a topic, we both want the same thing ultimately-- what is best for our families, to feel accepted, loved, and heard. To know that we matter.

“Connection heals, separation causes pain.”

Seeing ALL people as humans worth and equally loved by Heavenly Parents will help us look for understanding with neighbors, friends, and family members that are not on the same side as we perceive ourselves to be. Before we are ____________________ (insert any political party, religion, etc) We are human beings. My voice does not carry more importance than someone with different circumstances, thoughts, viewpoints than my own.

We really are all one and the same.

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