Becoming We

There is a word that all of us use in our daily lives that is perhaps among the most complex and dangerous words in our language: “I”. Even though it is the shortest possible length a word can be, I is at the root of the questions and philosophies that shape our reality. I is a powerful idea that motivates much of what we do both as individuals and communities. I helps us understand our unique gifts and dreams, and lets us celebrate the differences that make our world a miracle of diversity. I allows us to reflect on our inherent worth and dignity when others would attempt to deny our rights and our humanity. I’s power comes from its ability to serve as a method of separation that distinguishes us from one another…and that is where I becomes a dangerous tool in human hands.

In allowing for separation, I unfortunately brings forth the possibility of judgment and fear. I’s creation of our individual identities leads us to dread anything that we see as threatening what it is that “makes me me.” When confronted with the challenge of difference and change, the I behind our identity can push us to minimize or outright reject the value of another. I encourages us to believe that our individual identity must be protected, and that its value will be reduced if we acknowledge that others’ identities are equally important to our existence. I is the source of pride that prevents connection and dialogue. I is behind the horrors of racism, sexism, and classism. I motivates religious bigotry and cultural animosity. I cultivates political division and nationalism. I leads to both physical and spiritual violence. I creates “us and them”.

But I works in positive ways too. Each of us has our own unique body, thoughts, experiences, histories, connections, behaviors, etc. all culminating into what we see as our unique identity. We are all distinctive expressions and interactions of creation, and our difference is a source of celebration and awe. I embraces the value of every being independent of others’ treatment. I encourages us to come together by reminding us of what we are not as individuals, and what we can be when joined with others. It is these functions that demonstrate how I can actually be a reflection of “We”. We is a way of understanding that our identity is not really limited to our individual experience. We takes away the perceived threat to our individual identity because it reminds us that it does not really exist. We embraces the contributions of all into a collective identity, whose value is only enhanced by acknowledging that “me” cannot be without “you”. We cultivates real respect and appreciation for diversity because it no longer bases difference in comparison, but rather in inclusion. We is our interconnected self. We is the end of “us and them”. We is the root of love in its truest form – universal and without boundaries. We is what must flow through I if we are to use it responsibly. We is what I must become.