Good afternoon. I want to start this week’s newsletter with an acknowledgement of the depth of feeling over this past October. The synagogue shooting commemoration and the intimately painful violence in the Middle East have created layers of pain that I’ve often struggled to process.
It can be difficult to acknowledge fears locally when immediate threats exist elsewhere in the world. Some people may feel worried about antisemitism and personal safety, and yet try and dismiss it because it feels insubstantial compared to the worries of others. However, multiple truths can be true at the same time. We can build insight into ourselves and our worries while still acknowledging that others in the world are under direct threats. Addressing our own fears and emotions makes us safer, more insightful, and more compassionate community members, both locally and in our world.
At this time this community is in a confusing space. When we feel in danger, our brains are working overtime to try and register threats and forecast what to do about them. Right now, some may experience mixed signals—in some ways antisemitism is a consistent danger, but in other ways we are protected and safe. This can make the brain’s job extra difficult, and building self-insight is one way to make that job a little bit easier. Safety is the first priority, and grounding in our own emotions, bodies and minds is essential to recognizing and getting a realistic sense of our own safety and situation.
This self-insight is also important when interacting with other people and our communities. When people are under these kinds of pressures, they may be drawn to becoming rigid in their own perspectives. Some may feel that they know all the facts that they need to, and that learning or hearing from other people or introducing different facts or nuances will never change their opinions or the way they see the world. People generally crave stability and cohesiveness, and it is often comfortable to form this fort within our minds from which we can defend ourselves.
What would happen if we invited small amounts of instability into our own perspectives? What could happen if we allowed ourselves to refrain from immediately defending ourselves and our egos, and fostered curiosity, even when sometimes it feels uncomfortable? How do we work towards understanding other perspectives before bringing our own to bear in a conversation, and how do we notice when we are not only defending our point of view, but our own identity?
In the spirit of curiosity, below is an anonymous survey. Everyone is invited to participate, and we hope to present the survey’s results back and reflect on our learnings. The questions are:
Has the last month impacted how you view people that are different from you?
Have you been grappling with any internal questions and conflicts that have challenged how you see yourself or the world? What has that experience felt like?
What questions do you have for other people about their own experiences and perspectives right now?
Have you felt recently like you are defending both your own perspective and yourself? What was that experience like?
How would you like to experience community right now? What do you wish you could ask of your community?
Have you been using any strategies of your own to recognize and process your own emotions?
We strive to make our organization a space comfortable and safe for all, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, or religion. We welcome you to our space if you would like to talk.