Author’s Notes:

Although this is a bit silly, it hits at my core belief that the vast majority of people misunderstand themselves, and therefore have an even harder time understanding other people.

I think the world would easily be a much better place if schools…

1) taught about personality / temperament types (MBTI, Cliffton Strengths, enneagram, etc.)

2) dove deep to help children understand that their brains are wired differently than other people’s (the vast spectrum of neurodivergence)

3) helped kids grasp the difference between the limbic system (the part that drives our basic drives for food, sex, and safety; also the fight / flight / fawn response) vs. the prefrontal cortex (the executive function or “higher” part that regulates our thoughts, actions and emotions with logic and self-control)

From there, we’re able to show ourselves some compassion for the ways our brain “fails” us.

We can let go of our pride that our way of thinking is the right way of perceiving the world.

We can have true empathy to see that what drives “bad” behavior almost always comes from a desperate attempt to get our needs met — the needs to feel safe and at peace, to feel loved and accepted, to have food and necessities, to have pleasure, and to feel purpose and worth.

Maybe the monsters in us and around us aren’t horrid or cryptic. They’re just horribly misunderstood.