Radical self-love is a transformative practice that allows us to fully embrace our bodies and disrupt the beliefs that perpetuate disconnection and othering.
Dismantling the ladder of hierarchy requires recognizing it within ourselves, acknowledging our contributions, and redefining relationships based on interdependence rather than dominance.
Deep dives
The Power of Radical Self-Love
Radical self-love is a transformative practice that goes beyond a mere phrase. It is a commitment that allows us to fully embrace and revel in the sensations and experiences of our bodies. By breaking free from the Western paradigm that diminishes our bodies and their stories, we can learn to love and accept ourselves on a deep level. This practice is especially crucial for marginalized bodies, such as aging bodies, queer bodies, disabled bodies, fat bodies, trans bodies, and black and brown bodies. Through radical self-love, we can dismantle the ladder of bodily hierarchy and disrupt the beliefs, systems, and illusions that perpetuate disconnection and othering. It is an act of resistance and a foundation for a future rooted in love.
The Connection Between Our Bodies and a Future Rooted in Love
Our bodies and how we feel in and about them are intimately tied to the possibility of a future rooted in love. The current global pandemic serves as a metaphor for the rapid spread of energy and movement, particularly in the non-material dimensions of our existence. The question is, what do we want to spread? Our bodies function as hosts that contain beliefs, ideas, and illusions. These serve as the pathogens in the epidemiological triad. Communication, both external and internal, acts as the mode of transmission. By disrupting communication patterns, questioning our beliefs, and actively dismantling the pathogens, we can envision and spread a different reality rooted in love and interconnectedness.
The Ladder of Hierarchy and its Impact on Relationships
The ladder of hierarchy is a construct that perpetuates greater-than and less-than relationships among human beings. In Western industrialized society, white, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual masculinity occupies the top rung, while blackness and various marginalized identities are pushed toward the bottom. This ladder thrives on comparison and fuels a relentless pursuit of validation and worthiness based on external markers. To dismantle the ladder, we must first recognize it within ourselves, acknowledge our own contributions to its existence, and redefine our relationships to be based on interdependence rather than dominance. Destroying the ladder inside ourselves is the first step towards building a more just and equitable society.
The Practice of Radical Self-Love in Relationships
In relationships, radical self-love requires being unreasonable with one another. It means setting aside the fears and reasons that hold us back from being authentic and vulnerable. By letting go of our concerns about how we are perceived and embracing our purest, most generous selves, we create transformational moments that deepen our connections. Radical self-love in relationships also involves removing externalized reasons and striving to be fully present in the now. It is a continual practice of being in the moment and nurturing authentic connections with ourselves and others.
In our inaugural episode, Prentis talks with author, poet, and teacher, Sonya Renee Taylor, to discuss the body, our relationship to it, and what a way forward guided by radical self-love can look like.