I try to be vigilantly mindful around stopping my automatic habit of “othering” people here and there, including whole groups of individuals. It’s part of an overall mindfulness practice for me to maintain and improve upon. This is something for everyone to consider doing.
Vigilantly Mindful of Not “Othering” People
The Practical, Fanciful Pagan
Philosophical/World-View, Political, Spiritual/Religious, Work-Related
1 Minute
Published by The Practical, Fanciful Pagan
I'm gay, married, Pagan, and Progressive-minded from California, raised by hippie intellectuals. I relocated to Massachusetts for graduate school and never moved back to the Left Coast. My day job is that of psychotherapist in private practice, a profession I love with all my heart and a dream fully realized that I'd had since fifteen years of age. These are my rantings, reviews, and reflections. If nothing else, I hope you find something worth reading here and leave the rest. View all posts by The Practical, Fanciful Pagan
Published
The Practical, Fanciful Pagan 
Yes!
It’s hard for us humans to do…it requires mindful attention to our words, thoughts, and emotional reactions that have been mapped into us from various sources. I think we (at least in most modern and contemporary Western cultures) have been programmed to learn and develop our identities by noting difference and often identifying and understanding things/ideas by what they’re not. I guess as a neurobiological program, its not bad in itself. But somewhere along the line, “difference” or otherness gets conflated with dangerous or badness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes to everything you say here. Again, you give a lot of thoughtful elaboration and deepening to what I was meaning to say in my brief post.
LikeLike
I’m sorry if I write too much…many of your wonderful posts spark up my desire to converse about the topics you raise.
LikeLiked by 1 person