Personally, I can't really connect with these abstractions. I believe in people and I believe in nature. That's about it.

Love that! Well said.

Many would rather fight over differences than reexamine the stories that give rise to those differences.

I've been in my own dance of defining sensemaking. Even though I've written about it and reflected on the word countless times, I find it quite challenging to fully define for people, or even authentically practice it myself.

To me, sensemaking is more than thinking and reexamining stories. It's about the presence and energy we bring to others and how we consume the news. Instead of answers and certainty, it's the willingness to sit, pause, and feel things. Not just stay in our heads. It's about using our body intelligence to build awareness of what feels good and right, and also what makes us reactive and triggered. Media narratives driven my special interests depend on our negativity bias and fear to manipulate us. Thus, we work with our own defenses so that we can maintain emotional regulation, allowing us to think openly and listen to each other. Body awareness and regulation is key to healthy thinking, since we now know that the heart sends more info the brain than the brain does to the heart. Especially when most of societal issues are filled with paradox and complexity, which can be unsettling to the nervous system (and therefore our mind).