Three Practices to Center Human Dignity
So much tension, grief, sadness, and violence is occurring the world over right now. While there are so many forces outside my control, and so many situations that are out of my depth, what’s happening in Israel-Palestine is near and dear to me.
I'm feeling deep grief for the loss of Jewish and Palestinian life in the midst of what's been happening. I also feel a close connection to the land that folks call Israel and Palestine. My grandparents fled there during the Holocaust. My mom was born there. I lived a year in Jerusalem and feel a sacred connection to the land. I also know that the Palestinians who are being displaced from their homelands also feel a sacred connection to the land.
There are also so many who want to help or who don’t understand or who are struggling with how to be in relationship with those who are struggling. I would be remiss if I didn't weigh in on this conversation as someone who has a personal connection and who has taught about this region. At the same time, mine is one of many perspectives. No one person is a representative for their whole community.
What I have witnessed is that so many who have little knowledge or experience of the region are engaging in acts of antisemitism, anti-Palestinian sentiment, hurling misdirected vitriol at those who are trying to be allies and good ancestors.
Earlier in October I went on Instagram Live to share my sentiments, and then I decided to make a video and offer these insights.
The following are practices to consider if you want to stay engaged in these events (or really, in any struggle of which you’re not fully a part) and center human dignity in the process.
But first, Pre-work: Get grounded in your body and spirit. Take some deep breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling. Ask yourself, “Am I ready to bring myself to these practices in a way that is fully present?” When entering unknown and unexplored terrains, go slow, stay present and open. When necessary, come back to these practices.
When you’re ready, review the following:
Three Practices to Center Human Dignity
Here are three offerings for how you might support those who are involved in what’s happening right now, whether within the bounds of Israel-Palestine or connected in some way:
Listen. Listen to stories, to the experiences of those who have been directly impacted by senseless murder, whose family members have lost their lives, Jewish and Palestinian alike. Listen to understand, and hold lightly to judgment. One way to listen is not to fix or solve. I like to remind people in coaching conversations to listen with empathy and compassion by putting on one’s “deer ears.” Deers can hear 30% better because of the way their ears are designed. What might it look like for us to just listen to one another 30% better?
Learn. Rather than ask people who have been in harm's way or have been most deeply impacted by these events to do the educating for you, learn and read from a range of sources, not simply those that come from dominant or mainstream perspectives about what's happened in Israel and Palestine. It would be a great benefit to do one's own learning before passing any judgment in particular. There are treasure troves of resources, some of which, I’ll warn, have difficult content. Here’s one place to start; it’s a British source, but applicable to a lot of contexts.
Remember that people aren't going to get this right as they strive to center human dignity. You or others (or I) might say things that come across as clunky. We might need to apologize for impact. What’s most important is recognizing that perfection is not the goal. Care is the goal. Relationships. Start by saying, “I’m not sure if I am going to get this right…” or “Here’s my first draft thinking on this…” or “I don’t know what to say…but I will do my best to listen and offer support.” There are enough fractures in this broken world. We are all still reeling from so much that has occurred these past few years. Be gentle with one another as we mend and heal and make the world whole again.
“There is No Hierarchy of Oppressions.” Audre Lorde
We are all suffering under the collective weight of oppressive systems; no one’s pain is greater or worse than another’s. The only way to dismantle those systems is by acts of love, by acts of listening, by acts of learning and tending, and being in relationship with those we're most close to and hold most dear.
If these words are beneficial for you, feel free to pass along this post. If this is just more white noise in your world right now, that's okay, too. My hope is we can collectively strive to support the liberation of all peoples so they can live in their fullest dignity.
