New York displays this well.
In this post election twilight zone space I had an opportunity to view what I suspect many red state voters never experience. As I rode the subway I saw masses of humanity in all its shades, shapes and sizes in transit. We were crowded, body to body, shifting to get in or out at each stop and racing through Times Square station where beautiful music was played by subway musicians. I also heard music of another sort… “excuse me”, “please move in” and “do you want this seat? (Said with eyes and gestures, not words)”.
We as a collective were shabbily dressed, carrying plastic bags and well dressed in suits with brief cases. But we were together as people, not as “other” to be suspicious of or frightened of or to distrust. I wonder when we will stop living in fear because that is required to live together in peace.
A large part of Mindful practice calls us to wake up to our own delusions or misperceptions. We come to our conclusions about life and each other based on our life experience as well as what we are fed by the media. I for one am watching my media “diet” and questioning myself about my “beliefs”. Just because it hasn’t been my experience, does that mean it is not true? For me, while riding the subway, the only thing that was true in that moment, from my perspective, was people just like me, trying to make the best of their lives and doing it side by side with”others” who were not others.
Watch the ways of the thoughts, they developed into habits and habits develop into patterns and patterns develop into character. We need solid, trustworthy, kind characters in this play of life.