In my email last week (“I see you”), I wrote about Sawubona, a typical Zulu greeting that literally means “I see you.” It refers to seeing in a more meaningful sense than the simple act of sight. It means, “I see your personality. I see your humanity. I see your dignity.”
The email generated terrific responses from so many of you. The word empathy was a recurring theme in your responses, which inspired this email about empathy—specifically about how empathy can backfire.
Being seen is one of the greatest human needs, and we’re all starving for it.
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t create this hunger. It simply exposed it. We’ve been feeling unseen long before physical distancing forced us to separate into six-foot zones and Zoom breakout rooms.
The snake is the ancient symbol of transformation.
Unlike human skin, the skin on a snake doesn’t grow as the animal grows. During its lifetime, the snake’s insides outgrow its outsides, and the animal reaches a point where the older layer of the skin must be discarded in favor of the new.
I’ve lost control.
It’s become a common refrain. The pandemic pulled the rug out from under us. On some days, it feels like there’s no ground at all—we’re in a collective free fall.
