Greetings Beloved Ones,
"Responding is never a neutral activity. It is always driven be emotions, assumptions, preconceptions and prejudices. In fact not only is responding driven by prejudices, it also reveals them.". Wow! What you think, how you respond, react, or behave says a great deal about you. Your opinions reveal your prejudices, not only your point of views. And, all of this affects your relationships and interactions with others; and the same goes for the other.
So, how do we have open and honest relationships without all the prejudice, assumption, judgements and perceptions getting in the way?
. Do you have prejudices about certain groups of people? Where did that come from?
. Have you ever participated in group think or herd mentality?
. What are your prejudices?
Make it a valuable day!
Rev. Sylvia
I am reminded of the song from "South Pacific" - we have to be taught our prejudices, to hate and be suspicious of others who appear different from us. I try to see people as people, approach them with an open mind and heart and let them demonstrate their character. But, as this book points out, they may also be driven by learned prejudices and may respond to me based on those assumptions. So, it's a complicated interaction sometimes. As the book says, we can only control our own responses to people and let them choose their own responses as well.
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