In Hocus Focus, episode 3 of Evolving Democracy, Christy and I explored a simple but urgent question: How can we remain focused on our shared humanity?
This week we heard reports from Delaney Hall in New Jersey, where detainees launched a hunger strike over conditions that included inadequate food, poor sanitation, and allegations of mistreatment. We suggested that we call those being detained human beings – not immigrants, detainees, or members of one group or another. Remembering their humanity, and helping others remember it as well, allows us to see the fullness of the lives being affected. Their fears and hopes. Their families. The trauma that ripples outward through communities and remains long after headlines fade.
Fear, misinformation, dehumanizing language, and endless “what about...” arguments can pull us away from the real question: How do we want human beings to be treated? The conversation also touched on the importance of responding without becoming consumed by outrage. Whether it’s a social media exchange, a conversation with a friend, or a public action such as writing letters or attending a protest, we each have opportunities to model the world we want to create – not by dominating others, but by remaining grounded, factual, and rooted in love.
Ultimately, this episode is about reclaiming our focus. In a time when so many forces compete for our attention, we believe one of the most important acts of citizenship is refusing to forget the humanity of others. We advocate continuing to direct our attention – our focus – toward what matters most. Our values of dignity, integrity, justice, and compassion are not partisan; they’re human.
The future we create depends, in part, on what – and whom – we choose to see. The wider our circle of care becomes, the more it is possible to build a world where every human being is treated as a member of our shared human family.
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Let’s turn love into action. Together.
Joni Miller, Ph.D., is a writer, researcher, spiritual coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help spiritual wanderers find a place they can call home, navigating by the light of Love. www.SpiritualGeography.net
