Have you ever caught yourself in the act of saying something you realise is wrong? Hurtful? Even racist? I have noticed my own prejudice a couple of times. It can often be about genders and our professional roles; how physicians mostly are men and nurses women. As soon as I learned that in a meeting with both, I recognised it and apologised. Another time I recall, is my own fears of Muslim men and how they have been looked upon as potential terrorists, wherefore I hesitated contacting them, when I was in need of charity funds. It turned out they instead were the most generous.
Other examples might include prejudice about looks, and where one comes from. I tend to assume that someone with foreign looks, wasn't born here in Sweden, and thus of other nationality and race. Lately, however, I have encountered others asking me if I'm Swedish. Mostly I answer no, not completely, even if both I, my brother and parents, were born here. I like to think of my own asking as small talk, to break the ice and of curiosity because I know I can often tell by someone's looks where their country of origin is. It has never been any wilful attempts to look down on, or provoke any racism. I rather hope that I am part of the movement to curb it. It always lies in our awareness of ourselves, that is the most crucial step to take, to become conscious about our own behaviors and improve these, which is why I think it's a splendid idea to also include in the 12 step program, until we are mature enough to talk about it more casually. By becoming more conscious about how we talk, we can understand what effect we have on others, for a better and more harmonious life to unfold. It's all in the dialogue!
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