stories from the margins

peterson has a great post today:

Three men in a Tube–NEW YouTube videos on Transgender Issues

i believe it's vitally important to listen to the stories of those who are living on the margins. to believe in the dignity and worth of each human is to undergo transformation beyond the narrowness of our experience, definitions and understanding. gender difference is perhaps the most basic human definition we have. it colours everything we expect in a fellow human being. trans stories challenge the limitations we create for others and ourselves through these gendered assumptions.
when one begins to hear the stories of those who are excluded and hurt because their stories don't fit our expectations, there is a responsibility to keep on listening and to learn. if we believe we are called to step into being more compassionate and welcoming, then we are implicitly challenged to explore whether our own understanding limits to whom we are willing to extend our compassion and welcome. each human story can reveal more about what it means to be human. to understand the other better, is to understand ourselves.

is my understanding open enough, understanding enough, just enough, loving enough, to embrace the dignity and worth of the other...? all too often it's not... it's not the other that has to change, it's me...

enlarge your world

LB