Us vs. Them

77% Weekly Newsletter

32UsThem
U.S. elections are always the same. People get entrenched in an “us versus them” mentality. “We’re good, they’re bad.” “We know what we’re talking about – they don’t.”
It just doesn’t work that way, people.
We have this tendency to create dichotomies in our lives – to separate ourselves from those whom we believe are different from us, and therefore, wrong. Psychotherapist Melanie Klein referred to this as “splitting.”
We lament:

  • “Things would be great if only they would stop acting that way.”
  • “Life would be better if only they agreed with me.”
  • “All problems would be solved if only they changed their behavior.”

Spiritual-religious news flash: there is no “they.”
The problem isn’t with “them” – it’s with us. It’s you. It’s me. And us.
We are the problem.
If we want change, we must work from the inside.
Until we start treating everyone with compassion – including them – nothing will ever change.
Spiritual-religious advice:
Realize you are part of the problem.
With love,
i best

A Letter

Beloved, Let me tell you something I often say when counseling those mourning the loss of a loved one. “Unless you are a rabbi or minister, you shouldn’t be good at writing eulogies.” And then I add: “Let me give you a pro tip—think about writing a letter. Because you know how to write a letter and this way you

Read More »

With Bread

 Love. With Bread. ✧✧✧ I live in a very progressive city. But, not everyone is of one mind. In fact, three houses to the north live Merrilee and Sardar, who, prior to the 2020 election, posted a “Trump—MAGA 2020” sign in their yard. The day Biden was elected, I texted them that a number of my friends and I were

Read More »
5 wisdom biscuits

Five Wisdom Biscuits

tasty, bite-sized, easily digestible bits of insight ✧✧✧1. Humility, Always.✧✧✧ We need to be humble when we are wrong.AndWe need to be humble when we are right. “When I am wrong, makeme willing to change.When I am right, makeme easy to live with.”—John C. Maxwell ✧✧✧2. LOFTY GOALS✧✧✧ A quote by my BFF Larry Keene: “Our standardsare beyond us for

Read More »
77% Weekly Newsletter
77% Weekly Newsletter