I don't need to know if you're non-binary, or you're transitioning, or what people you prefer to sleep with, or what pronoun you want to be called by. I want to know if you can connect with me, and tell me about your uniqueness, and hear about mine.
I don't need to know if you're progressive or conservative or libertarian. I want to know if you can set aside your beliefs long enough to hear and honestly consider another point of view.
I don't want to know if you're discriminated against, or if you are blamed for being privileged. I want to know if you are willing to set aside your hurts and anger long enough to meet me in that place beyond right and wrong.
I don't really care to know about your rights, and how they've been violated. And I don't care to know about the power and rights you've been granted. I want to know if you can step beyond your rights and walk in another person's shoes.
I don't need to know your religion, or whose god you worship, or what practices you follow. I want to know if you believe in kindness and honesty.
I don't need to know how rich you are, or how poor you are. I want to know if you can acknowledge your position in life without guilt or blame and still connect to your fellow human.
I don't care what protests you have been to, or how many times you have written your congressman. I want to know if you can see past the stories our minds create, that keep us separate and angry, and reach out to the heart in each human.
I don't want to know what sins you have committed, or how sorry you are. I want to know if you have learned to forgive yourself for everything, if you have learned to live with your faults, and if you have learned to extend mercy to those around you.
I don't want to know what boundaries you have drawn, and why you shut others out of your life. I want to know if you can connect with me, if you can be honest about your fears and weakness and shame. I want to know if you can let yourself be seen by another.
(inspired by Oriah Mountain Dreamer's "Invitation")
