john a. powell - Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World

[14:44] “Othering is not according to someone else for expression, for dignity, for mutuality of their humanness. In some ways you’re saying they can be less than, conditional, or completely invisible and in some way they don’t count.” What is othering? john powell defines this important term and explains these expressions on a vast spectrum, from not acknowledging to genocide and ethnic cleansing. Othering happens on a gradient, being by one single person or entire groups like organizations and governments.
[19:12] “Those that can fit into the environment, those species actually thrive. But what happens when the environment changes? Can those species adapt? When the change is slow, inevitably yes. When the change is fast, it's not clear. In 2024, it's clear that while in many ways we have become more accepting, the world is changing rapidly, causing anxiety and stress that increases instances of an expanding othering.
[50:43] “The driver is fear, and fear can be manipulated. Fear is not rational... How do you talk to the lizard brain? When fear is activated, it's not the prefrontal cortex; it's the amygdala, the part of the brain we share with the lizard…what this lizard is most afraid of? Not belonging. As Marcel and john’s conversation shifts from othering to belonging, john explains that irrational part of our brain, “the lizard,” as the barrier we most often find to creating belonging.
[56:20] “A leader has many roles. But one role is to hold the container that holds everybody else... and tell the story. What does the company stand for?” How can leaders create more belonging in their organization? The answer is to reflect the values of the institution as a priority. Create an atmosphere that makes it clear that human dignity is at the forefront.
[1:01:00] “Be hard on structures and soft on people.” john brings attention to the need for systems and structures for harmony in the workplace, noting that too often it's the people we are hard on and the structures we let off softly.
Key Takeaway: Guest john a. powell closes out with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Commenting that it doesn’t just bend on its own; WE bend it, and even more so, we bend it toward belonging. As we move forward in history, we will move forward to a world where everyone belongs.
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