There is a saying that we dehumanise ourselves by dehumanising others.
I think it cannot be more true.
Seeing anyone trying to justify ethnic cleansing, mass murder of children, and, in the end, genocide, for the past two and a half years has proven this saying again and again.
Yet as I was thinking about dehumanisation recently, I sort of reversed the logic (but not completely) of this saying.
What if, in the end, we cannot truly fight against the dehumanisation of others if we still hold a lot of internalised dehumanisation in ourselves?
And this is really scary to admit and identify: all the areas of life and my very being where I have been dehumanising myself.
It’s not a light admission. But meaningful admissions rarely are.
But pushing through the discomfort of asking this question is an absolute must. Why?
Because how can we fight against the dehumanisation of others if we’re still, albeit unknowingly, not living our lives with our backs straight? If we’re constantly shrinking or cutting parts of ourselves?
It serves no one except the oppressive systems that have pushed us into this.
Here’s my short video on it. It’s an invitation not only to ask that hard question but to fully accept the importance of that internal work for our external struggle.
Find my invitation to connect and support emergency relief efforts in Venezuela after the devastating earthquake here ❤️🩹
If you’ve been following the case of Palestinian doctor Hussa Abu Safiya, find three petitions to sign here, in my other piece (towards the end of the article).
As always, stay strong but keep your heart open ❤️
Justina
PS. If you find value in my videos, I invite you to support my independent political commentary by inviting me to a virtual coffee or by covering some of my hosting fees.
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If You Reject Gaslighting in Your Personal Life, Reject It When It Comes as War Propaganda, Too
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Investigative Selfism 
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