The first time I heard this quote from Ram Dass, “We’re all just walking each other home,” it resonated so strongly that I created a series of events based on the idea. What if groups of women came together to talk about how our relationships could be deeper and more satisfying? More grown up. Less fraught with advice or competition.
What if we stopped judging each other and stopped pushing our personal agendas or ideas of how everyone should live their lives? What if we let go of all the stories we’ve made up about what others intended to do to us, and how they’ve done us wrong?
That led me to wonder: could a more thoughtful approach to friendships become a catalyst for social change? Could the shaming and blaming and name-calling that has become a national pastime be identified as the defensiveness, fear, projection and refusal to take responsibility that they represent?
This turned into the idea for a TED-style talk–a “MARY” talk– that I presented at the College of William and Mary on September 23, 2018. Have a look, and let me know if it resonates for you.