Everyone you encounter is surviving trauma right now, even (and sometimes especially) if they don't show it.
Sometimes, the trauma is far more severe than can be indicated, revealed, or recognized in that moment.
Remember that fearfulness comes from trauma.
Remember that silence and lack of response can come from trauma.
Remember that aggression comes from trauma.
Remember that argumentativeness comes from trauma.
Remember that cognitive dysfunction comes from trauma.
Remember that ideological rigidity comes from trauma.
Remember that misunderstandings and miscommunications can come from trauma.
Patience, kindness, respect, and awareness of the tremendous diversity of all our very different and unique lived experiences -- we can practice and center these.
Take particular care to remember that the person you're communicating with might actually be speaking a very different language than you are; one you didn't yet know how to recognize.
Especially for trauma experiencers and trauma survivors... especially when traumatic experiences are hidden or invisible... the meanings of our words often diverge from what is expected.
This can be challenging to remember when we are all experiencing such intensity.
But we can do it and we're proving it.
Originally published at t.me/MaxMoRadio/6339 and cross-posted to Facebook here.
Everyone you encounter...