As LGBTQIA+ Pride month begins…
As Ramadan ends…
As Juneteenth approaches…
…a quick note to encourage you to branch out beyond your comfort zone and into a place of deeper and greater exposure. Representation Matters is a slogan because we believe that what we, as individuals, experience is representative of the world at large. And yet, our perspective is inevitably limited by the lottery that is where and to whom we are born and the influences we find there, and those limitations are often deepened by the self-fulfilling prophecies that are our social media and search engine algorithms.
That is, we tend to follow people and groups that already resonate with us and as Facebook and Google and YouTube refine their processes of giving us more of what we want, we get more deeply lured into that false sense of certainty about life. All people think the way that I do, or at least all people that matter.
Except…
All people matter.
As you’re practicing the connection that is extending compliments, make a point to include people who, at first glance, don’t remind you of yourself or your social bubble.
As you’re surfing social media, add some feeds that aren’t crafted just for you.
As you’re deciding your summer activities, add some that are outside of your norm.
As we experience one another, we engage both with the expansiveness of our commonalities and the beauty of our differences.
That is, we engage with humanity.
Have fun out there!