Stop gun violence by gun control! No, guns don't kill, the mentally ill & criminals do! This debate will get us nowhere, as people will continue to die. As history has shown us, us vs. them gets us nowhere. Given our different views, what do we do? What if all of us ordinary folks try, together, to come up with new solutions, try new interventions, create new ways of living with our differences?
I am The Other. And so are you.
What if we spoke to one another as a “we”and “us” instead of the more common me-you and us-them. What if we discuss and take action on issues we face today from the vantage point of being on the same side: the side called we are all humans in the life together. With this perspective, we can possibly be flexible, open and creative and definitely less deadly.
I am The Other. And so are you.
As long as we keep separating ourselves by focusing on individuals, like ‘what was wrong with the recent mass shooter?, we do not see the larger picture of a sick and alienating society. As the saying goes, united we stand and divided we fall. Separating ourselves from our fellow humans will ensure our fall.
So try on saying "we" and "us," and not "you" and "them" for a while, and see if it can take us to a new place together. Hopefully, a place filled with love, peace, compassion and justice.