Lately I’ve been thinking about how multiple different things can be true at once.
Last month, I read Dr. Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness, and in it, Dr. Brown talks about the common human experience of ‘living in a paradox.' That notion gave shape to a concept I had been noticing but couldn't define.
We live in paradox, in which opposite things can be true. Systems can help in some ways and harm in others. A person can have good intentions and self-serving ones. I can feel grief for world tragedies and be joyful when I play with my feisty toddler. Life is harsh and also wonderful.
It’s a fact of existence: different things are true all at once.
This notion gives me peace when I feel apprehension or grief. Nothing is just one thing. Seeing the joy and beauty in our lives and relationships is even more important when life feels unstable and unclear.
If you’re feeling a lot of upheaval right now, for professional, personal, or existential reasons, I hope that notion gives you a glimmer of hope, too.
People in our sector are feeling a lot of uncertainty lately. We are unsure how possible changes happening in our country will affect children and families, and how it will impact our work. And it’s affecting us. It’s hard to know what to do when we think systems we’re part of might suddenly change.
But remember: Even in the noise of uncertainty, our values haven’t changed. Focusing on children and families is genuinely more important now than ever. We will keep that focus. On all children and families.
Stay calm, stay connected. When things change, we must turn to each other, not turn against each other. Focus is our certainty.