“Seeing is Loving.”
Mary Magdalene’s feast day is coming up this week. She is a close ally for me, and has been teaching me in times of conflict to “turn their hearts to the Good.”
Turn their hearts to the Good.
But how?
In a polarized world, the only way to truly “win” is to seek to understand (mind) and empathize with (heart) the other’s perspective/position.
The key is not to make yourself smaller or give up your own point of view. You actually have to expand to include both.
Expand… to include both.
Perspective-taking is a sign of truly mature leadership (according to the research not just my opinion). Operating from “both/and” is a sign of first-rate intelligence, and a radical act of Love.
Turning hearts to the Good begins with seeing and feeling the other. Not only what is on their mind but also what’s in their heart. Not with judgment but with love. Not with righteousness or superiority but with humility and shared humanity.
You can feel when this happens: both hearts soften.
Both hearts soften.
My mentor, Barry Johnson, is one of the most loving — and wickedly smart — people I’ve met on this planet.
I’m quite fond of his words:
“Seeing is Loving.”