All I really need to know, I learned in a homeless shelter.

In a Homeless Shelter

When someone is shouting, human nature is to shout back.
In a homeless shelter that doesn’t work.
You cannot outshout the noise.
But if you can grow very quiet…
If you can become very still…
If you can embody peace…
If you can create a space for calm…
If you can truly listen to the other person’s deepest fears and most painful insecurities…
If you can do those things, the noise usually subsides enough to seek understanding and a path forward.

Let me be clear:

Calm isn’t cowardice – it actually requires a lot of courage.
Calm isn’t capitulation – You can calmly disagree and even hold people accountable for their actions.

In Society

Right now, both sides of our political-cultural divide feel “the other side” is shouting.
Human nature is to shout back.
But that doesn’t work.
We cannot outshout the noise.
But if we can grow very quiet…
If we can become very still…
If we can embody peace…
If we can create a space for calm…
If we can truly listen to the other side’s deepest fears and most painful insecurities…
If we can do those things, perhaps the noise will subside enough to seek understanding and a path forward.

Let me be clear:

Calm isn’t cowardice – it actually requires a lot of courage.
Calm isn’t capitulation – You can calmly disagree and even hold people accountable for their actions.

-Author Unknown