The White Man’s Tongue
Empathy IV
In empathy there is a disruption, a branching of paths, a dissonance… An essential part of empathy is combining the feelings of similarity and difference. That’s where unpredictable things happen
Westerners hold out our hands to engage with the world, to be shepherds of our environment, and to build a sustainable culture, but our fists are closed. We can’t see things balanced because we’re imbalanced…
If we become more aware and detached, empathy and self-confidence can inform each other. If we can become more aware of what we lack in understanding others, we can see what we lack in ourselves.
In the stereotyped potboiler Western the Indian proclaims, “The White Man speaks with forked tongue.” I always wondered about this… there is something to it…
“It doesn’t require many words to speak the truth.”
— Chief Joseph
Click here to read The White Man’s Tongue.
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