Thank you for this heartspeak, Rachel. I am glad to find you, via the comments on Elif's post, both of your meditations on how to stay connected to our humanity helpful moments of connection for me, which is what I find I need and value like oxygen, to keep my heart and soul alive, and I will refer to your and Elif's latest posts in my substack, Moments of Connection.
So beautiful! I adore how children are so pure in their love and innocence that "othering" is taught largely by our parents, family, friends, mentors etc. people outside ourselves who plant a seed and it spreads. I myself (as an immigrant to the US) felt othered a lot as a kid -- for the hand me down clothes I wore, for pronouncing words slightly different even though English is my first language. Til this day, there's a tiny piece of me that doesn't feel like she truly belongs and every day I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself that I do. 🕊️
Yes, you do belong! I am also still struggling with belonging in Malaysia, being a minority. Strangely as a migrant here in Germany, I don't have thoughts about it; maybe it's no longer a need after I decided I belong to the world.
Love this so much. We can't help the systems and judgements we're forced to believe, but by being aware of things as they are (as I'm interpreting what you're saying in your essay), we can start to bridge the division between all of us.
A good reminder how important it is to build connections with those around us ❤️
Yes, we need to connect, even if off grid ;)
This is such a mature and wise essay, one that we all should hear from time to time to remind us of our shared humanity. xo
Thank you!
Thank you for this heartspeak, Rachel. I am glad to find you, via the comments on Elif's post, both of your meditations on how to stay connected to our humanity helpful moments of connection for me, which is what I find I need and value like oxygen, to keep my heart and soul alive, and I will refer to your and Elif's latest posts in my substack, Moments of Connection.
Thanks, Christina, for dropping by. I am glad you found your way here, too! And thank you for referring Conscious Living!
So beautiful! I adore how children are so pure in their love and innocence that "othering" is taught largely by our parents, family, friends, mentors etc. people outside ourselves who plant a seed and it spreads. I myself (as an immigrant to the US) felt othered a lot as a kid -- for the hand me down clothes I wore, for pronouncing words slightly different even though English is my first language. Til this day, there's a tiny piece of me that doesn't feel like she truly belongs and every day I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself that I do. 🕊️
Yes, you do belong! I am also still struggling with belonging in Malaysia, being a minority. Strangely as a migrant here in Germany, I don't have thoughts about it; maybe it's no longer a need after I decided I belong to the world.
Thank you for the reminder that we are all more alike than we remember to be.
I needed the reminder too ❤️
The "otherness" has been too often an occurrence in my life, and I have to admit that I have been on both the receiving and giving ends.
We cannot escape it I guess, but it's good to be aware :)
Love this so much. We can't help the systems and judgements we're forced to believe, but by being aware of things as they are (as I'm interpreting what you're saying in your essay), we can start to bridge the division between all of us.
Glad you liked it and yes, you got it! :)