Do I share this suggestion -- or don't I? Am I breaking confidences when talking about a situation that involves me and others? I am not sure how to handle this -- I need advice. Which is the best path to take and still maintain relationships with others?
Do any of these questions or thoughts sound familiar? This whole week has been filled with these moments!
Like Jane Austen's book, Sense and Sensibility, where people learned to balance common sense and emotionality, we are invited to be sensitive.
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| When have you been involved in a fragile situation? (Photo credit: The Uplifting Science of How Dandelion Seeds Stay Aloft, Nova) |
From the moment we are born, we need the love and comfort of a core group of people. This social unit can take many shapes and sizes. No matter how it looks, we tend to grasp at places of safety that allow us to grow and nurture.
In this fractured world, many people are seeking love, comfort, and safety. What happens when we deny others these nurturing components of what it means to be human? What happens when we are denied one of these?
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| Where do you grasp for comfort and safety? (Photo credit: Complete Guide on Your Baby's Hands, FirstCry Parenting) |
Social, moral and spiritual threads weave into what it means to be human. What would it be like if we encouraged love, provided care and comfort, and created safe environments when we connect with others over our human similarities and gently discuss our differences?
An expression that I heard in the 1980s might apply here, loosely adapted: we are part of a seamless garment of life -- we cannot warm others without respecting every aspect of that garment. You are important to me!
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| What do we do with the wisdom we have gained? (Photo credit: What are Some of the Best Qualities of Elderly People?, Slate) |
Questions for us to consider:
- Do we ask questions when someone's idea or suggestion doesn't make sense?
- Have we approached a situation with curiosity and wonder?
- Can we create opportunities to discover another way of thinking or being?
Life is full of moments when we can balance common sense, sensibility (emotion intelligence), and sensitivity.
Let's seek out these moments this week! Let's strengthen the social fabric that is seamless with possibilities.
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| Larry Gardepie (click on link for website) |
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