My dear brother, friend, sage and so much more, Michael L Dublin Sr. shared a word with me that resonates. That word is “Sonder.”
Sonder-The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it. Sonder speaks to our common humanity. We are more alike than different.
Sonder speaks to recognizing the humanity is us all as a human family. We all have stories that would make another person cry, laugh, gasp, etc. All of us have brilliant strengths, talents, unique gifts, abilities as well as struggles, hardships, losses, & problems. When we recognize our common humanity, this enriches us. We do not have to make sonder about “better” or “worse,” “valuable” or “worthless,” but merely intriguing differences that can enrich us all as unique members of our human family.
Honing our sonder is a step in the right direction towards breaking down systematic, institutional systems of oppression.