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I’m going to say the quiet part out loud, the part most people shy away from because in today’s world, anything spoken can be taken out of context. We live in an age where fear of offense has replaced honest conversation. And yet, I have to ask: where has our humanity gone?
Everywhere you look, families are divided. Lines are drawn in politics, in religion, even in daily life. We’ve stopped seeing one another as humans and started seeing each other only through the roles we play. Words get redefined, labels get handed out like party favors: toxic, narcissistic, emotionally immature, too feminine, too masculine. These neat little boxes make it easier to dismiss people, but harder to understand them.
We tell ourselves this is “healing.” But is it really? Or are we simply creating new cycles of hurt, dressed up in modern buzzwords?
Healing, in its truest form, is not about tearing others down because we’ve been hurt. It’s not about slapping labels on anyone who doesn’t fit our narrative. Healing is when you can sit across from someone you disagree with, listen, learn, and still walk away with respect. It’s when you say, “I don’t agree with you here, but I choose to love you anyway.”
Healing says: I never want someone else to feel the way I once felt.
The Mom Example
Take a mom. She’s often the glue that holds everything together wearing countless hats as cheerleader, chauffeur, disciplinarian, emotional anchor, housekeeper, wife, daughter, friend. Somewhere along the way, though, she stops being seen as a person. Society begins to see her as a machine, not a soul with her own needs and dreams.
The moment she asserts herself, she’s labeled: toxic, narcissistic, emotionally immature. Sound familiar? But it’s not just moms, dads, employees, pastors, teachers, leaders…all of us are at risk of being dehumanized by roles, labels, and divisions.
The Trouble with Black-and-White Thinking
We’ve lost the art of sitting at the table with someone different and finding common ground. Our moral compass doesn’t point toward compassion anymore; it’s stuck left or right, black or white. Social media has fueled this divide, recasting once-beloved roles parent, caregiver, spiritual guide as problematic or even dangerous.
But I believe in something better. I believe we can reclaim humanity if we choose conversations over conflict, connection over division, and listening over labeling.
The cycle of hurt doesn’t have to continue. It starts with seeing each other not as roles, not as labels, but as people.
Everywhere you look, families are divided. Lines are drawn in politics, in religion, even in daily life. We’ve stopped seeing one another as humans and started seeing each other only through the roles we play. Words get redefined, labels get handed out like party favors: toxic, narcissistic, emotionally immature, too feminine, too masculine. These neat little boxes make it easier to dismiss people, but harder to understand them.
We tell ourselves this is “healing.” But is it really? Or are we simply creating new cycles of hurt, dressed up in modern buzzwords?
What True Diversity and Healing Look Like
To me, diversity is about capacity, our ability to hold space for people who think differently than we do. True sympathy doesn’t require us to walk in someone else’s shoes; it asks only that we honor their feelings, even when we don’t understand them.Healing, in its truest form, is not about tearing others down because we’ve been hurt. It’s not about slapping labels on anyone who doesn’t fit our narrative. Healing is when you can sit across from someone you disagree with, listen, learn, and still walk away with respect. It’s when you say, “I don’t agree with you here, but I choose to love you anyway.”
Healing says: I never want someone else to feel the way I once felt.
The Mom Example
Take a mom. She’s often the glue that holds everything together wearing countless hats as cheerleader, chauffeur, disciplinarian, emotional anchor, housekeeper, wife, daughter, friend. Somewhere along the way, though, she stops being seen as a person. Society begins to see her as a machine, not a soul with her own needs and dreams.
The moment she asserts herself, she’s labeled: toxic, narcissistic, emotionally immature. Sound familiar? But it’s not just moms, dads, employees, pastors, teachers, leaders…all of us are at risk of being dehumanized by roles, labels, and divisions.
The Trouble with Black-and-White Thinking
We’ve lost the art of sitting at the table with someone different and finding common ground. Our moral compass doesn’t point toward compassion anymore; it’s stuck left or right, black or white. Social media has fueled this divide, recasting once-beloved roles parent, caregiver, spiritual guide as problematic or even dangerous.
But I believe in something better. I believe we can reclaim humanity if we choose conversations over conflict, connection over division, and listening over labeling.
The Invitation
Here’s the truth: you’ll always find what you’re looking for. If you seek only validation, you’ll gather people who agree with you and cushion your feelings even if it keeps you stuck in dysfunction. But if you seek growth, you’ll find people who challenge you, stretch you, and help you see life through new eyes.The cycle of hurt doesn’t have to continue. It starts with seeing each other not as roles, not as labels, but as people.
