Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me…. true in the literal sense.
We rely on words as a means to communicate and understand each other. Words are powerful especially when it’s easier in life to make assumptions/cast judgment versus be curious/ask questions.
The article attached for example:
“Homicidal Empathy: An Evolving Threat to Police Officers.”
If I’m a police officer, my safety feels threatened after reading that title. If my safety is threatened so is my community’s safety. It’s my job as a peace keeper to keep the community safe from threat and people with homicidal empathy are the threat.
I’ve got to give the writer credit “homicidal empathy” is a shock to the system. It made me click and read. Talk about big feelings. I understand the writer’s viewpoint. I agree with a couple of the points made. It’s presented in a manner that is so far skewed to trigger those big feelings that the good points get lost.
You remove one word from the title, it makes an even more shocking statement:
“Empathy: An Evolving Threat to Police Officers.”
In reality, homicidal empathy is just empathy. Is empathy what is seen as the real threat to police officers?
What is empathy? Putting your own ego aside, realizing life experience is unique to one’s self, and being open minded enough to be willing to hear others life experiences with curiousity, not judgment.
I tell my kids empathy is being willing to listen and understand.
If the article I’ve attached gives you big feelings, let’s talk about it. I don’t think either side got it “right” in the Colorado case discussed.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending how you look at it), to hold someone accountable for their actions in our current justice system they first need to be found guilty or not guilty. We spend too much time focusing on the action that resulted in a criminal charge and telling people they are bad, versus focusing on changing the underlying reason for the action.
The justice system forces us to have polarized black OR white views of the world. No in between. I’m ready to blend the two colors and embrace the gray. Only way to do that is use words and open up the discussion.
Embrace GRAYce 
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