The Only Thing We Can Truly Understand Is That We Will Never Truly Understand
So much is happening right now. So many statements, so many declarations, so many people are out there desperately trying to find the words for what we are experiencing and seeing as a nation. Our heart is broken -- as is everyone’s -- as we try and process senseless death and overwhelming outrage and a nation trying to sort out a path forward in a very public fashion.
Racism has no place in society. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others have -- again -- laid bare the systemic and structural racism pervading our nation. Our country seems, finally and long overdue, to be grappling with the fact that racial injustice taints so many of our interactions, from public spaces to workplaces. As a nation, it is long past time for us to affirm, loudly and proudly, that Black Lives Matter.
At Holistic, we are deeply saddened by recent events. We stand with everyone who continues to seek change -- individuals and groups, companies and organizations. We recognize that the work to create an inclusive society is only just beginning, and we remain committed to fulfilling our responsibility to this pursuit. Now, more than ever, there is work to be done. We will continue to pursue our goal to help employees and companies meet one another where they are and collectively improve understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
All of the efforts we see all around us are essential. And as we move forward and hope to do so together, there is a conception that may help us find some commonality and hope: the only thing we can truly understand is that we’ll never truly understand.
“The only thing we can truly understand is that we’ll never truly understand.”
This concept is so powerful -- it takes only 15 seconds to learn it but you can think about it every day of your life and not fully grasp what it really means. We are so caught up in empathy and sympathy and trying to understand that we forget the fact that biologically and fundamentally it’s just not possible to truly understand what somebody else has experienced. We will never see the world through their eyes. We don’t have their history, their experiences, their pain or privilege. And so the recognition and understanding that no matter how hard we try, we will never truly understand -- this is a huge element to our process of healing and growth.
And so, that’s where we start. We start with the understanding that we will never truly understand.
This is not an absolution of responsibility; if anything it’s a recognition that our responsibilities are more than we could’ve ever imagined.
This is not a cop out or a way of changing the subject; it’s a way of us focusing every ounce of effort around action and change and growth..
It doesn’t mean we don’t have to work hard on these matters; recent events have shown us we need to work harder than ever.
It is not a dimming statement about our future; it’s a reflection that our future may be brighter than we ever thought possible.
We don’t truly understand -- we can’t. And, even if we did, understanding is simply not enough.
Now is our moment to make change. Things that we wouldn’t have even considered a month ago are now going to become required. Conversations we never had the courage to even start are happening all around. Our minds have been opened -- even as our hearts have been broken -- and we have an opportunity to seize this moment and make progress together.
“ Our minds have been opened — even as our hearts have been broken — and we have an opportunity to seize this moment and make progress together.”
We must understand that there are elements of this that, no matter how hard we try or how good of people we think we are, we will never fully grasp. We have to know that we will never truly know how it feels to be the other person, what they’ve experienced, where they’ve come from and where they’re going. And that’s okay. We operate from there.
The only thing we can truly understand is that we’ll never truly understand. That’s where we begin.
