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Learning to Love Well: See the Innocence in Others

Episode #22

We're digging into our second lesson on Learning to Love Well, which is seeing the innocence in others. This skill gets at the heart of the illusion of separation and opening up to the truth that we are interdependent. And, when we see the innocence in others, then we'll start to see it in ourselves as well (and even if we start the other way around).

No matter who you start with, once you see the true essence of yourself and others (and give yourself and others a break), the world really opens up. Joy has bigger paths to flow through when you're gentler on yourself and others and daily life gets, well, easier.  

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Key Takeaways:

  • Sister Helen Prejean:
    • "I watch what I'm doing to see what I believe."
    • "A person is more than the worst thing he has ever done." 
  •  Seeing the innocence of others vs. looking down on someone... it can be tricky to notice the difference.
  • When we limit judgment on others, we suspend it on ourselves (and vice versa). This is healing. 
  • Theory of Mind: A reminder that our beliefs about what people are thinking are just that; beliefs and theories. We make guesses through the lens of our own experience. 
  • The Golden Rule is surprisingly helpful for mental health: Treat others and we would like to be treated. The benefits of it go both ways. 
  • Imagine-other perspective taking vs. imagine-self perspective taking. Imagine-others can be more helpful and less stressful. 
  • Two of Parker Palmer's Habits of the Heart that really resonate here: 
    • An understanding that we're all in this together.
    • An appreciation of the value of "otherness." 

 

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On Jan 1st, 2025, the Joy Lab Podcast and Program moved from Natural Mental Health to the nonprofit Pathways North.

 

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