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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See my latest pieces here:
Three Years of Genocide: How Do We Choose to Emerge in This New Reality?
It is not enough to simply bear witness to the horrors of this world: we have to allow them to shape us. To change us. To push us into living with our backs straight – for the humanity of others and, in the end, our own. As today marks the third anniversary of the Gaza genocide, this is my message for you.
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On The Missed Opportunities of Not Being a Coward
Do you ever think of the concept of cowardice? Do you ever see yourself as a coward? And, the opposite, when do you see yourself as having the courage to stand up for what is right? I think history is giving us one extremely grim opportunity to do the right thing – yet it’s not taken by everyone.
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My Wishes for Adults on A Day When Children Are Back to School
The excitement of a new school year is still with me, long after the school experience itself. But my wishes at the beginning of a new school year are different from those of a child: they are the wishes I have for adults.
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What The World with Israel in It Looks Like – And Why It’s OK for Our Nervous Systems Not to Be OK
I hope it is something you can address with your therapists, friends, or online community at least: that if you are aware of how this world has been, your nervous system can’t be doing too well. And as long as we live in a world where fascist regimes like Israel can exterminate people in front of our eyes, we cannot be OK. But what we can do is put conscious effort to change that world.
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When There’s an Opening of The Heart, But The Ones in Power Are Preaching Destruction
There is a saying that the cracks in the heart is where the light comes through. I also think it’s from where that light also shines. In my essay, I invite you to protect your hearts in this time of mass destruction; to engage in antiwar activities; to save your own humanity.
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If You Reject Gaslighting in Your Personal Life, Reject It When It Comes as War Propaganda, Too
We can call it war propaganda (as we should), but we can also use another rather popular concept: gaslighting. This is what is being done to us on a global scale, as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran is being waged. That’s why, if you’re feeling that you might be losing your mind when you watch the mainstream media, indeed, that is the point.
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