Episode #218 Know Your Place

Five Problems

• Systems of injustice surround us on all sides and at every angle.
• We tend to let others dictate where we belong instead of deciding this for ourselves.
• Whether they realize it or not, supporters of the status quo often support injustice.
• Those who demand that we know our place often fear what they will lose if we find it.
• There is a societal pressure to speak out about every single political issue.

Ten Principles

• One of our most important and urgent responsibilities in life is to fight for justice.
• Paradoxically, we can make the greatest impact when we choose to narrow our focus.
• Each and every human being has the power to make a positive difference in the world.
• There is not only space for us in the fight for justice, but there is a place for us as well.
• Our passion and purpose may actually be found in the very place we are told to avoid.
• We may not be able to win every battle, but we can win the battle we were made for.
• Something that is not our place today may become our place tomorrow.
• Understanding our own place helps us to empathize with others in a different place.
• An awareness of our place alleviates feelings of guilt when we are not somewhere else.
• Our place is both narrower and more expansive than we might expect.

Five Practices

• Take steps to become proficient in the areas you are passionate about.
• Consider whether the someone who “should do something about this” might be you.
• Trust that your place is important, even though it’s different than others’ places.
• Dip your feet into other places in order to discover their connection to your own place.
• Believe that the fight for justice will not go on forever, and have faith that it will be won.

One Perspective

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.