Other-ing

Report from the Possible Human, Possible Society Study 

Other-ing is already showing up as a dominant theme in our study.

"You are either like me or you are the “other.” If you are an “other” I don’t really have time for you.”

No wonder we have so much trouble overcoming the polarization of politics and other conflicts and controversies as well. Only three weeks into our study and enough interviews, both full and partial, have been done so far that I feel confident to pose this question to you:

How do you imagine the promise of our welcoming lady, the Statue of Liberty, can fulfill her pledge with the predominance of other-ing that dominates much of our day-to-day interacting?

Thomas Moore (Care of The Soul, 1992) writes:

“It is not easy to observe closely, to take the time and to make the subtle moves that … “ allow another being to reveal itself.

Taking time with one another is antithetical to our nation’s general lifestyle. The addict society, instead, derives its momentum from a high speed lifestyle. The instantaneous, reactionary assessment that the “other” is the enemy, if only of our insistence on hurrying up, adds to the dilemma.  No wonder "awe" is such a hard mountain to climb.

This item; the prevalence of other-ing, already emerging, in our study makes me doubly grateful for the pure presence of our interviewees. That they willingly are giving of their time is already making this study inordinately gratifying. I am having more fun that I have since I lost my eyesight, Labor Day, 1998. Imagine that!

More to come. We’ve only just begun. Three years plus to go (study officially ends December 31, 2014).

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