0:00:03 – Bill De La Cruz
Hi everybody, you’re listening to the Finding the Origination Point podcast. The Origination Point is connected to bias awareness and bias deconstruction, and the Origination Point is the notion that all of our biases, implicit or explicit, have a point in time where they started, where we were given a narrative or had an experience with a small group of people that then we extrapolate to a larger group of people. And the reason why the Origination Point is so important is because that is the point of healing and understanding. So, as we’re deconstructing and making our biases more conscious, the Origination Point supports us in understanding where they came from and healing any emotional impacts that they’re currently having in our lives. So sit back, open your mind, open your heart, and let’s see if we can find your Origination Points to bias. Hello everybody, this is Bill Day-Lacruz and you’re listening to the Origination Point podcast.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the state of the world and it’s taken me a while to figure out what I want to say. Between the war between Ukraine and Russia and Israel and the Palestine and the reaction that we’re seeing all across the world in terms of how people are being seen and treated, it makes me think about what do I want to say and how do I want to express my views? Because we become so polarized that if you say something for a group, then you’re against the other group and vice versa, and then you get treated that way. And it’s so interesting to me to see how we maneuver through this idea of what I’m calling labels, how we label each other, and these labels are rooted in the ways that people see us, not in so much of our identity. And so when I see what’s happening in the world and I see these wars between Russia and Ukraine, between Israel and the Palestinians, and I think about the labels that we’ve given to each of those groups and how, when we label each other, we run the risk of creating this belief system that everyone in that group is that label, and I truly believe that’s a false narrative. It reminds me of 9-11, which was many years ago, and I remember after 9-11 happened, we labeled every Muslim as a terrorist, and I knew that that was false because I knew people from that identity and not only were they not terrorists, they didn’t agree with any of that behavior and were so far against it that it really bothered them that they were being put in that same group and being treated that way, and I’ve watched what’s happening in our country, on our college campuses, between Jewish people and Palestinian people, and the ways that we are labeling each other and then fighting with each other over whose perspective is correct.
And our labels are causing us to see each other through these lenses that, for many people, have nothing to do with our identity. And why can’t I talk about the humanity of what we’re seeing or the loss of humanity around what we’re seeing? The innocent people in Ukraine and Russia who are being hurt and killed, and the innocent people in Palestine and in Israel who are being hurt and killed and they’re not all terrorists. They are little children, they are old people, they are aunts and uncles and people who are attempting to live a life amidst all of this craziness. That is part of their country and part of our world, and it’s really hard for people to even talk about this because of the way that people perceive it. And so if I were going to identify myself, I would put my identity as more of a humanist, where I look at things from the lens of humanity and what’s actually happening.
And when there are wars, it’s impacting human beings, and some of those humans are what we would label good humans, and some of them are bad humans, and I don’t know who’s who. I don’t know who’s who in my own community, in my own country, in terms of those labels. And yet somehow we have to figure out how to interact and live with each other, and right now, on our whole planet, that is not happening. We’re fighting with each other, we’re labeling each other, we’re canceling each other, we’re hurting each other, all in the name of peace. And so I’ve always wondered how killing someone in the name of peace actually creates peace, because to me, it creates more violence. And when I look at behavior, bad behavior is bad behavior. And so, when I think about the labels, we’re labeling people in all of these wars and then acting in it as if it’s true for all of them.
And identity is different, because identity is how I see myself and people from all of those countries who are at war. A lot of them just see themselves as human beings who are doing their best to get by, who are doing their best to try to figure out how to get through a day, and I feel so fortunate to live in a country, as crazy as it is, that I’m not having to dodge bombs or bullets or thinking about where am I going to get drinking water or how will I feed my children. I don’t know how I would be if that was the case, if I was living through that daily deluge of terror and fear. And so it is really hard to figure out how to have a conversation about these topics, because for a lot of people, when these topics come up, it’s about choosing sides, and I’m sorry I refuse to choose sides, because when I see human beings being hurt on all sides of the battle, it’s hard for me to say who’s right and who’s wrong, and most of these things are rooted in hundreds of years of people being at odds with each other, and now it’s being reflected in it’s a really horrible way in 2023.
And I think that we need to get to a point where we can have a conversation and talk about the humanity of what we’re seeing, or the lack of humanity of what we’re seeing, because on all sides of these conflicts there’s inhumane treatment going on and it’s hard for me to say one group is right or better than the other, because we’re both causing the same pain, and so it makes for a really challenging conversation and it just hurts my heart when I see people on both sides who are being hurt, shut down, the anti-semitism that is growing in this country and the way that people are being looked at and treated, now based on a label versus an identity. And now that same kind of pain and hurt is starting to happen right here in America. And we’re not dodging bombs, but for some people they are dodging bullets and they are dodging the fear of being mistreated and dehumanized because of how they are labeled or because of their identity. Whether you’re Jewish or Palestine, or Ukrainian or Russian, you shouldn’t be ostracized and dehumanized because of your identity and because of what’s happening in those parts of the world. It’s just so hard for me to fathom, and I spend most of my days working with people who are in some level of conflict around. How do I have a conversation with somebody? How do I forgive, how do I be kind to someone who I think hurt me and who I don’t trust? And those are real conversations, because when I think of our own country and I think of labels, I look at what’s happening in our political structure between the Democrats and the Republicans as labels and the hurt and the pain that’s being caused on both sides by people who are not representing the public, by people who are having some sort of an agenda or an approach that I’m not sure represents a lot of people. And again, I’m not telling you I’m right or wrong. I’m saying that we have to have a conversation and we have to figure out how to talk about this, because these labels whether it’s a label of ethnicity, whether it’s a label of religion, whether it’s a label of of political stance, whether it’s a label about how I see myself from any perspective Labels are given to us. Labels are not who we are, because within every human being there’s an identity, and there’s an identity that’s important to each one of you who are listening to this. And what I hope you don’t take away from this conversation I’m having with you is that we should remain polarized or that I’m defending anybody Because I’m not.
Bad behavior is bad behavior. And when I see what’s happening with children and our elders and people who don’t fit the label of terrorists, it hurts and it makes me wonder. You know, what is this path that we’re going down? Where does it end? And when I see what’s happening in the Middle East or in Europe and then I see what’s happening in my own country. I wonder how far away are we from that type of behavior right here with each other? Because we’re pretty close with all the mass shootings that we have, with the way that people are being treated based on their identity, their religion, their how they see themselves, and we could sit and argue who’s right and who’s wrong all day long and still not solve.
For what does it look like to be in the space of shared humanity with each other? Whether it’s a political label, an ideological label, religious label, a country label, we’ve got to figure out how to talk to each other. We have to figure out how to think about what is the middle ground in between what we’re seeing, and how do we not just cancel each other out when we don’t agree with each other’s perspective? And it took me a long time to even think about taping this podcast, because I know the climate that’s out there and I know that some people will take this in whatever way they want without ever thinking about how did I intend for this to land with you all? And I want to be really clear. The way I am intending for this to land with you is to have you start to think about what’s actually happening in the world.
What’s my role in what’s happening? Do I see the dehumanizing of people as something that’s wrong, no matter who’s doing it? Or do I justify it and say, well, it’s okay for these people to be killed because of whatever, or it’s okay for these people because of whatever? And I know that as a society, we’ve been involved in these types of things for thousands of years. Ever since man’s existence, we’ve had battles and wars and fighting over territory, over beliefs, over peace, over ideologies, and the weapons are getting worse and worse and worse, at least from my perspective. I’m sure if I lived in the 16, 17, 1800s, I probably would have said the same thing, because the weapons they used then were probably evolved from the weapons that were used in the 10s and 1100s, and so it’s just a matter of how far are we going to go with this? How much are we going to allow to happen?
Before we think about what’s the conversation that we need to have, I think about what’s this path that we’re on. Where is it going to lead us? I think if we continue to root it in hate and in divisiveness, then that’s where we’re going to go and we’re not going to see anything different. And is it hard to be kind and accepting of someone who’s different from us? It can be. It depends how rooted I am in wanting to be right, because I work with a lot of people who want to be right, and being right means somebody has to be wrong, and if you’re wrong, then I’m going to show you why you’re wrong, tell you why you’re wrong and I may even beat it into you about why you’re wrong.
And so this mentality of right and wrong and good and bad and justifying behavior based on someone’s experience, while it’s really real, it’s still something that we have to talk about. So I just wanted to take a little bit of time to share these perspectives with you, and what I really want to ask you all who are listening to this is to just think about what’s a conversation you can have with somebody who’s different from you, because what we’re seeing in wars is kind of the extreme of people being treated poorly historically, of people not being willing to talk with each other, of extreme behaviors from extreme people within populations of people no different than what we see here in America. Not every person is going to get angry and pull out a gun and shoot people. There are some people who do that, and that is not acceptable behavior, and it’s just something I think that we need to all consider and think about and start to see if we can move to a place of being more conciliatory, of being able to understand a perspective that is completely different than mine, and I truly don’t know what the answers are. I only know that I am choosing to operate from a lens of thinking about how do I have this conversation with folks and how do I create a space where other people can bring their selves as unsure as they may be, as hard as it may be to have these conversations into a space where we can talk, where we can ask questions, where we can wonder, where we can realize that nobody holds the answer about how to stop wars, and yet we all have the answers about how to create peace.
And so for me, this was just an opportunity to share my thinking around the world events and to also invite you to join me in this conversation as we move forward, and to create opportunities for folks who are interested in talking to come together, to be able to do just that talk with other people, not to convince, not to right or wrong, just to hear what others people’s perspectives are, what people are feeling right now in the state of the world. And so, again, I’m just going to ask you who are, if you’re open to this, to be open-minded, be open-hearted and be willing to listen, share perspectives and think about how do we create a more peaceful world, how do we create a more humane world? Because we all play a role. You’re listening to the Origination Point podcast. My name is Bill Dayla Cruz. Thank you for listening and keep growing.
0:20:29 – Bill De La Cruz
You’ve been listening to the Origination Point podcast with your host, bill Dayla Cruz. If you find the content compelling, please share, subscribe and continue listening, as you are the reason why this is so important to us. You can also reach out to us on our website at wwwdaylacruesolutionscom. If you have a question or comment, or maybe you have a compelling story to share, please reach out to us and let us know about anything you are interested in or that you think would be helpful as you continue on your own personal growth journey, and we really appreciate you being a part of our why and our dream, which is to create a more humane world and, most importantly, keep growing. Thanks again for listening to the Origination Point podcast and we will see you in the next episode.
Transcribed by https://podium.page
