The Other

February 20, 2024

We tend to other people who think differently from us. For example, many persons on the Autism Spectrum report they are avoided because they are considered weird or odd.

Some people are othered because they are social misfits or troublemakers. Getting involved with these people can be inconvenient for some of us because of the energy required to be in relationship. Therefore, we place them in categories that make it okay for us to "other" and avoid them. Author Joan Landorf, in her book Irregular People, speaks to the irregular people in our everyday relationships, which can include friends, neighbors, and members of our own family.

The problematic, eccentric, and odd people who do not fit in are problems for many of us. In the conscious spiritual life, we meet these people as souls. If we enact the Law of Love, we care for them instead of ignoring them. But how many of us take the time to give to them?

In consciousness, we reach out to our fellow human beings regardless of their oddities. Why? Because we realize that if we were truly known, we too would possibly be considered social misfits, odd, or troublemakers. We wall off the undesirables because of fear, that we will have to spend energy on them, that we may have to relate to them, and that we will not enjoy being with them, and that we will be judged for being with them.

Just recently, I became conscious that I have othered someone for many years. I buried that fact deep within the recesses of my mind. My challenge is to turn back the clock and reach out to restore the fact that we are the same and that we can be in union. I cannot do this without a power beyond myself.

Inquiry: Who have you possibly othered?

Dear God,

As you grace me in becoming more conscious, my denial will no longer work. Instead of continuing to deny, I pray for the courage to reach out. Amen

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