There has been several things in the steemverse that have caught my eye the last few weeks that are beginning to collide. They all have centered around real dialogue with real people (in cyberland) about challenging things. It started with the death of @lauralemons that brought on much needed dialogue about emotional health, depression and suicide, and got me exposed to @voiceshares. Then I read a post by @timcliff about a proposition to push the tag #discussion to create constructive dialogue around hot topics. I read this in between interacting with @sostrin and @dwinblood posting articles about their experience with parents that used physical violence on them, as well as their experience disicipling their own children.
This was all happening while starting to interact with two other people that get me way hype - @stackin and @enazwahsdarb
All the above people I would totally recommend following. Great content - fascinating people.
As this has been colliding in my brain I have been struck by the incredible diversity in people, the diversity of their experiences, their pains, their battles. Interacting with them (and others) I find myself being challenged at the wealth that I am interacting with. Do I really believe what I think, are their ideas right? Do they put my identity at risk, or do they help upgrade me as a person?
In every disagreement, I have the ability to allow the disagreement to threaten my understanding of who I am - or allow it to help upgrade my understanding of who I am.
This revelation has been shocking to me
Why do we feel threatened by people different than us?
Have I been so insecure or unsure of myself that when someone comes up and pushes on my outer shell I break?
It is so easy to speak an opinion or an experience as fact
When I run into someone boldly explaining their perspective as true, right or the best - am I able to hear that process it, filter it, and make a decision on how that information will be used in my life...if at all. Or do I assume because of their platform or boldness they are just 'right'
What do you think?
I have found that I had very few voices in my life inviting me to challenge the status quo. Even fewer voices inviting be to question why? In religious context, in the school systems, even in social circles - the strongest voice, the perceived authority figure would communicate as fact, and for the most part everyone went along with it. It's been a major factor of the rape culture/binge drinking ravaging college campuses - but thats another conversation.
It created an worldview within me that said I was a 'victim' while I would not say 'victim' - I was yielded to the strongest voice or the perceived authority of my surrounding. I was imprisoned to just go along with it instead of pushing against it. It also built in within me an inability to take on challenges, creating a fairly impotent purposeless life.
What's your story? Are you able to be around people that are different then you? People that think contrary to you? Do they unsettle you as a person? Or do they help upgrade who you are?
Being in my early 30's I feel I am starting to settle in to who I am as fact. While it may get shaped by new ideas or thoughts, its pretty settled. I am a husband, dad, son, friend, one that catalyzes people, a Man of God, a learner and one that builds people up. I have gotten to this point as a result of allowing the experiences of life shape me. There have been some things I have run from and learned minimally from. There have been other things I have engaged head on, and as a result they have been critical aspects of shaping my Identity.
Think of it like this - I was created with a certain genotype as directed by my genetic makeup. Unique and specific to me. My experiences and relationships have then been shaping me since I was born building me into who I am. When I allow these experiences to shape me and not bulldoze me - the product is then real freedom in myself - not having to question my reality when a disagreement or new perspective comes up. Which actually makes me great - people are longing for freedom!
My Identity ------being shaped by new/challenging experiences -----I engage the experiences----my knowledge is increased and thus my freedom is increased
I am to the point now where every new thought or disagreement only has the capacity to increase the freedom I feel. Even when someone comes spouting their perspective with force and as fact - I am able to take that filter it through my brain/expereinces/question it and take what is good and toss what is garbage.
I want to encourage you in your journey of life - your own personal greatness and freedom will come from allowing yourself to be shaped by people different from you. Learning where they are coming form and why. People's strong voice often comes form their own insecurities - do not let it bulldoze you or send you into a rage of anger - that will not help you or anyone around you.
Let's use the #discussion tag and the steemit platform to build out powerful secure people that can engage in real dialogue, with real disagreement that shapes us into holistic powerful people that do not function in ignorance.
Thanks for reading along with me - would love your thoughts below and any links to posts you have written about your own journey. Feel free to check out the people mentioned above - steem on
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