It All Starts with a Conversation
It’s amazing what can happen when you have a conversation…
The things that you can find out about someone: where they live, what they’re going through. The things they’re fighting for, the things they would like to see happen in their community. The things that make you different but more often than not, the things you have in common….
This all comes from a conversation.
I realize that starting a conversation may be hard to do for some people; whether that’s because it’s not something that comes naturally or the subject matter, like addiction, may be difficult but I would argue that it’s more important than ever to get these conversations started as soon as possible.
Why?
Because there is a climate of discrimination and hate building in this country that I have never personally seen before and it is frightening. As a woman of color who grew up and still lives in the inner city, I am no stranger to discussions around race and class, but the way entire groups of people are being stigmatized despite knowing nothing more about them than their name or where they live is mind boggling.
I’ve seen entire groups of people classified as terrorists because they happen to have a Muslim sounding name. I’ve heard people classified as violent, stupid, and lazy just because they happen to live in a less desirable part of town or happen to have a certain skin color…
I know something about stigma as I am a family addiction advocate. It is a constant battle trying to get people to overcome their misconceptions about the disease and those who struggle with it. For some people the only way this happens is when I share my story about what my family and I went through with our loved ones’ addiction. When I talk about our struggles, our heartbreak at losing my brother to alcoholism, the joy at seeing our other family members achieve long term recovery…it’s only then that not only do they understand, but they can relate. By taking the time to have a conversation with people, whether it is one on one, through my writing, or a conversation online I am able to give some insight and change their perception about a very difficult subject.
The same can be done in regards to all the hateful speech and images that we’re being bombarded with today. If all there was to go by were the things being shown in the media, it would be very easy to form some damning ideas about certain people, but by taking the time to have a conversation you will find that there is a lot of misinformation being put out there. You will also find that we all have so much more in common and that we want a lot of the same things.
A simple conversation can break down barriers, showcase talent and skills that can be used to help strengthen our community and lead to great friendships. By taking the time to get to know people, by talking to and listening to them and seeing what they are really about, we can embrace the diversity in our communities rather than be afraid of it and make our world a better place!