What are five passions you have?
It's hot here. And I am tired.
Not feeling terribly passionate, so I guess we'll see how this goes.
Maybe if I just start writing...
1. Kindness - our world needs more kindness. Imagine if all 7 billion people on our planet each did one kind thing for someone each day. Kindness is always the right choice. Especially when people don't deserve it. The hurt that people cause is never greater than the hurt they feel. Further hurt never solves anything. I really, really believe that violence is never the answer. There is always another, better way to accomplish something.
2. Respect - which leads me to respect. If in addition to being kind, we respect our fellow humans, so much can change. And I mean all humans. The first area where there is so much disrespect is in regard to children. Just because they are small, doesn't mean they are less. They are full-fledged people. Really they are. And it's so important to respect them as such. Small example I see all the time: toddler has runny nose. Mom swoops in from behind with a kleenex and wipes the nose. Toddler yells. Yeah. Wouldn't you? If someone surprise-attacked your nose like that? We tell them, "You can't possibly be hungry." or "Take two more bites." as if they don't know their own hunger cues. And guess what? When we override them like that, they lose the ability to gauge their own hunger and begin to eat for the wrong reasons. We say, "Shh, shh, you're okay." when they cry. No, they're not okay and it's important for them to be able to express it. How about, "Wow, you're upset. Let me stay with you until you feel calmer." And don't even get me started on circumcision. But it's not just children. Our world is full of examples of disrespect. People don't respect law enforcement, medical professionals, teachers. They are rude to waitresses, cashiers and mechanics. People are judged for how much education they have, how much money they earn and what car they drive. And the level of disrespect rises to violence. School shootings, officers killed in the line of duty, rape on college campuses. STOP! If you don't believe in miracles, then perhaps you've forgotten that you are one. And so is he. And so is she. And so are they.
3. Diversity - I have a son with a disability. I have an uncle, who is like my big brother, who is gay. I love a man who is black. This is so important to me. Whether it's culture, religion, race, language, gender, sexuality, ability/disability, physical or mental illness, income level...whatever it is that makes us different from one another...this is something to embrace. Something to love and be excited about. People are different. That's what makes them interesting. Kenny will never be neurotypical. And that's okay. He has his own gifts to bring to our world. He is funny and fiercely loyal and all about sports. He's the best friend you'll ever have. No he's not "normal." He has autism. But that's part of who he is. It makes him unique. It makes him different. And differences should never be barriers. I could have put EQUITY along with diversity. Because we have to make sure that each person has what they need. And because people have different histories, different barriers it's not always about treating everyone the same.
If you come from a background of privilege, this may be hard to understand. Our society has long given preference to certain groups. If you're straight, if you're white, if your gender matches your sex, if you're male, if you're Christian, whether you believe it or not, you've been privileged. At the expense of people who are not these things. It creates bias, which is often unconscious. And privilege blinds us. To read more: click here.
4. Learning - I love to learn things. And every time I learn something new, it's like I walked through a door. Into a room with six more doors. I discover even more things I don't know. I'm hungry and curious to learn them all. The more I learn, the more I find how little I know, how much there is to know. And every person I meet knows things that I don't know. One of my favorite phrases is, "I don't know." Because it gives me an opportunity to find out. So read, meet new people, ask a lot of questions, value learning that is different from yours. I went once to a welding class. I may have read Shakespeare, Stalin and Steinbeck in college, but that doesn't make me smarter than these students. They know about chemical interactions and how to form a bead and what fuel works with what metal and all kinds of information that I know nothing about. Howard Gardner proposes that there are nine different kinds of intelligence. Wow! Nine. Let's learn to value them all.
5. Love - you know this. Love hard. Love often. Love loud. Love without reservation. Love without fear. Love without agenda. Unconditionally. Every day. With everything you've got.
It's hot here. And I am tired.
Not feeling terribly passionate, so I guess we'll see how this goes.
Maybe if I just start writing...
1. Kindness - our world needs more kindness. Imagine if all 7 billion people on our planet each did one kind thing for someone each day. Kindness is always the right choice. Especially when people don't deserve it. The hurt that people cause is never greater than the hurt they feel. Further hurt never solves anything. I really, really believe that violence is never the answer. There is always another, better way to accomplish something.
2. Respect - which leads me to respect. If in addition to being kind, we respect our fellow humans, so much can change. And I mean all humans. The first area where there is so much disrespect is in regard to children. Just because they are small, doesn't mean they are less. They are full-fledged people. Really they are. And it's so important to respect them as such. Small example I see all the time: toddler has runny nose. Mom swoops in from behind with a kleenex and wipes the nose. Toddler yells. Yeah. Wouldn't you? If someone surprise-attacked your nose like that? We tell them, "You can't possibly be hungry." or "Take two more bites." as if they don't know their own hunger cues. And guess what? When we override them like that, they lose the ability to gauge their own hunger and begin to eat for the wrong reasons. We say, "Shh, shh, you're okay." when they cry. No, they're not okay and it's important for them to be able to express it. How about, "Wow, you're upset. Let me stay with you until you feel calmer." And don't even get me started on circumcision. But it's not just children. Our world is full of examples of disrespect. People don't respect law enforcement, medical professionals, teachers. They are rude to waitresses, cashiers and mechanics. People are judged for how much education they have, how much money they earn and what car they drive. And the level of disrespect rises to violence. School shootings, officers killed in the line of duty, rape on college campuses. STOP! If you don't believe in miracles, then perhaps you've forgotten that you are one. And so is he. And so is she. And so are they.
3. Diversity - I have a son with a disability. I have an uncle, who is like my big brother, who is gay. I love a man who is black. This is so important to me. Whether it's culture, religion, race, language, gender, sexuality, ability/disability, physical or mental illness, income level...whatever it is that makes us different from one another...this is something to embrace. Something to love and be excited about. People are different. That's what makes them interesting. Kenny will never be neurotypical. And that's okay. He has his own gifts to bring to our world. He is funny and fiercely loyal and all about sports. He's the best friend you'll ever have. No he's not "normal." He has autism. But that's part of who he is. It makes him unique. It makes him different. And differences should never be barriers. I could have put EQUITY along with diversity. Because we have to make sure that each person has what they need. And because people have different histories, different barriers it's not always about treating everyone the same.
4. Learning - I love to learn things. And every time I learn something new, it's like I walked through a door. Into a room with six more doors. I discover even more things I don't know. I'm hungry and curious to learn them all. The more I learn, the more I find how little I know, how much there is to know. And every person I meet knows things that I don't know. One of my favorite phrases is, "I don't know." Because it gives me an opportunity to find out. So read, meet new people, ask a lot of questions, value learning that is different from yours. I went once to a welding class. I may have read Shakespeare, Stalin and Steinbeck in college, but that doesn't make me smarter than these students. They know about chemical interactions and how to form a bead and what fuel works with what metal and all kinds of information that I know nothing about. Howard Gardner proposes that there are nine different kinds of intelligence. Wow! Nine. Let's learn to value them all.
5. Love - you know this. Love hard. Love often. Love loud. Love without reservation. Love without fear. Love without agenda. Unconditionally. Every day. With everything you've got.
Comments
Post a Comment