Naming the parts

If you and I don’t give generous attention to naming ourselves – what do you call yourself – then we limit our vocabulary.

Because if we can’t differentiate who we are, then the likelihood is we will slip into the binary ‘us and them’.

It takes time, honour and generosity to name the parts. But this avoids the crass inhumanity of erecting unhelpful boundaries between us.

Boundaries that can feel safe, but which actually dehumanise and separate us.

We can only see the healthy whole if we name the elements and recognise our fundamental interdependency.

This not only elevates others, but it also reflects on us. And enables us to be more fully who we are.

We are human beings, not widgets.

This post first appeared in Quiet Disruptors - part of The Waterside