Connection

by Mahayana Landowne
Brooklyn Meeting

What personal fears are keeping you from joy?

What helps you feel heard? Included? Valued?

We all have knowledge and experience, and a lot to share with each other.

Can we connect to our curiosity and find connection?

How do we move beyond fear?

Is there a space where we can embrace supportive listening and a lack of judgement?

Intergenerational connection. Hearing each other. Moving beyond fear. Embracing vulnerability.

There is so much to share.

By now most people reading this know that othering someone is a way of dehumanizing and creating hierarchy. This allows a culture of oppression. Separation is a way to disempower.

There are ways to lift everyone up without putting anyone down.

Next time you find yourself the “victim” of generational conflict, how can you shift the script? How can you find connection, celebrate difference, have patience, grace, humor, and love?

There is no right way to do this; building your awareness, expanding your range of friendships, looking for connection, building relationships across age, economics, education, experience.

We have an incredible opportunity to grow.

I have grown up in Quaker spaces, spaces where gentle passionate people connect to create community around “that of God” in everyone. Part of my joy of attending is the opportunity to cross paths with people of a variety of ages and life experiences who are interested in being in community with everyone who shows up. Officially, “All are Welcome.”

The tricky part are the layers of invisible culture we carry with us, the places where even if we don’t believe in something consciously, we do it anyway. Yikes.

When you can, please notice your “us” and “them-ing;” notice when you feel unheard. What can you shift to build connection?

How, starting right now, can you transform the world one interaction at a time?

(note: "we" in this article is you the reader and me)