State of the World: Facing Our Hatreds, Uncovering Our Humanity

This paper explores our shadow side and our propensity for creating enduring intergenerational and transgenerational conflict, unending wars, and suffering, inside and outside of ourselves. At the same time, this paper also explores our capacity for generative hope, for strengthening our empathic function and meaning making, and the adaptive path we can carve out to grow. It speaks to the notion that while “truth, reconciliation, reparation, and transformation” often appear to be the road less traveled or even completely out of reach, we humans, through our own self-study and group reflective practice efforts, can move from a socially embedded self to a collective embodiment of bridge building to others by deepening our emotional readiness and the potential for relational resonance and sharing power in this diverse world. The author uses autobiographical vignettes to illustrate the evolving self-study and reflective process and the developmental guiding principles involved.