Acknowledging and naming our longings and griefs is crucial in our journey of self-discovery and healing, fostering authentic connection and vulnerability.
Difficult times, like the COVID-19 pandemic, reveal our true selves and the role of shame in our responses to collective struggles, highlighting the need for empathy and understanding.
Deep dives
The Power of Naming Longings and Griefs
Acknowledging and naming our longings and griefs is crucial in our journey of self-discovery and healing. By recognizing our desires to be known and understood, we create space for authentic connection and vulnerability. Sharing these inner struggles with trusted others is essential, as it allows us to be seen and supported. It is through these deep and genuine relationships that shame, condemnation, and isolation can be replaced with love, acceptance, and the possibility of creating beauty together.
The Revealing Nature of Difficult Times
Difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, reveal who we truly are as individuals and as a society. While challenging, these times provide an opportunity for introspection and the examination of our long-held beliefs and patterns. The pandemic has shown that shame often plays a significant role in our responses to collective struggles. By acknowledging our own shame and understanding its dynamics, we can foster a more compassionate and empathetic approach towards others, recognizing that their actions and reactions may also stem from their own deep-rooted shame.
Embracing a Life of Beauty and Goodness
Moving away from exclusively focusing on problems and pathology, embracing a life of beauty and goodness leads to profound personal and societal transformation. Recognizing ourselves as both creatures of desire and potential creators of beauty allows us to cultivate a sense of purpose and fulfillment. By actively engaging in practices of inquiry, vulnerability, and connection, we can become people who not only seek to be known but also strive to create beauty and goodness in the world. This shift requires intentional community, where individuals are seen, supported, and encouraged to pursue their unique path of creation.
The Importance of Being Seen and Acknowledged
Being seen and acknowledged by others is fundamental to our well-being and growth. Vulnerability and authenticity open the door for genuine connections and a sense of belonging, dispelling shame and isolation. By actively listening and affirming each other's struggles, successes, and efforts, we create a safe space that allows individuals to flourish, despite the challenges they face. When we approach one another with love, empathy, and recognition, we become catalysts for personal and collective transformation, enabling each other to navigate life's difficulties while embracing our inherent beauty and worth.
Us, too. Today, we hear from Curt Thompson, author of The Anatomy of the Soul and the Soul of Shame, about how shame affects us, specifically in this pandemic time. Join us as we learn the roots of shame, how to hear from God, practices that help deal with shame, how to meet each other in it--and even talk about Jesus' lightsaber! This week's episode is balm to the stressed and shame-filled soul and we are deeply grateful for Curt's wisdom.
//: Highlights:
“What's the next new thing that God is gonna create? What is the next artifact of beauty that’s gonna happen here in the next five minutes?” -Curt Thompson
“Shame isn’t now telling these stories for the first time, it’s just that COVID now gives these stories an opportunity to come full-blown into their maturation. It’s not like it’s creating our problems, it’s just revealing that these are the kinds of people that we are and these are the kinds of people that we always have been.” -Curt Thompson
“We are not just made to be known…We’re made to be known on the way to then create beauty and goodness in the world.” -Curt Thompson
