Isolation only exists in isolation
Jake Eagle — Friday, January 8th, 2010
“Isolation only exists in isolation…” This is a quote from a fictionalized account of the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, in the book When Nietzsche Wept, by Irv Yalom. Yalom goes on to say that “once isolation is shared, it evaporates.” In Green Psychology we “evaporate” isolation by revealing ourselves to others so that we can be “witnessed.”
When we are witnessed we feel seen by another person. When seen, we feel less isolated. In my book I’ve written a poem with the following lines that describe witnessing, “To touch and be touched, to see and be seen, to show and to say, ‘this is me, I see you.’” These are aspects of witnessing that dissolve our sense of isolation.
Witnessing is much easier when you adopt Green Psychology‘s perspective of No Praise No Blame. This perspective takes us outside the duality of “good/bad” and “right/wrong” thinking. Framing things as right or wrong—especially in the subjective realm of personal opinions and feelings—inhibits intimacy. Try dropping the frame of right and wrong, replacing it with curiosity. It is possible to leapfrog over our need to be right and go directly to understanding.
