Stand, Expand and Understand
Here in the United States we are experiencing health, economic and societal crises that are revealing inequities, breeding conflict and building divisiveness. We must unite to overcome the challenges that we are facing. But how do we do this? By taking responsibility to get right with ourselves, the people in our lives and our understanding of unity. Following are three lists of bullet points addressing ways you can restore unity within yourself, with others and with the greater collective.
Get right with Yourself – know where you stand and stand up
If you are not okay with yourself, it’s going to be near impossible to be okay with anyone else, so start here.
- Get clear about what you stand for by employing critical thinking to evaluate your positions.
- Gather information, assess if you need more, then interpret the meaning for you. How does it apply to your life?
- Base your positions on facts that align with your core values.
- Work towards an exposition that can withstand questioning from different points of view.
- Keep an open mind and regulate your thinking by expanding to incorporate new information.
- Problem-solve to resolve conflicting data and continue to evolve.
- Root into your core values, embody them and live by them.
- Be willing to stand up for what you believe and value in life.
Get right with the people in your life – expand your point of view
The only way to unify a large group of people, like the United States as a whole, is for each of us to unify with the people in our own lives.
- Prioritize people and relationships over ideas and opinions.
- Let go of the need to be right. Keep your ego in check, agree to disagree and preserve your connection. .
- Be open to different perspectives to expand and enrich your own viewpoint.
- Seek to learn something from everyone and tell them. Everyone can benefit from affirmation and it will deepen your relationship.
- Ask yourself, “how are we alike?” to find your common bonds.
- Transform the “us versus them”, divisive wall, to “we are in this together”.
- Be on guard for your own bias, prejudice or intolerance and self correct to remove negative judgment of others.
- Maintain a willingness to work through differences with consideration and respect for all involved.
Get right with all – open to understand unity
In my experience of working with groups, I have found that people tend to abandon concern for the greater good when their personal fears are triggered. This is a time to be courageous and committed to unity.
- We are all fundamentally the same – NEVER FORGET THIS!
- View differences with perspective of how small they are in the bigger scheme of things. Remember we all share about 99.5% of our DNA.
- Fear is at the root of all divisiveness. Never speak or make decisions from a fearful state.
- Manage your fight-flight-freeze response. Only act when you can access your reasoned brain.
- Be inclusive in your thinking, recognize ALL humans as equal.
- Be authentic, share who you are and your experiences freely.
- Have the courage to contribute to common goals for the greater good, we each have a part to play.
- Learn about universals and seek universal balance. It will open you to unity, the place where we are one.