When We Bridge Our Differences, We All Can Grow

As caregivers, we have a lot of things in common. One of the most important is empathy. We use empathy to listen, understand, and connect with the emotions of others, especially with the loved ones that we care for. We see it as part of our responsibility as a caregiver.

Within our community of caregivers, we also express empathy. We recognize the challenges and feelings that others have in situations that might be similar to those we have faced in our own life’s journey. This creates a bridge of support that enables each of us to cross safely to a better place, and it’s one of the most important things we do at Courage to Caregivers.

But another type of bridge building is our focus for this week: bridging differences. Even among caregivers, everyone is a unique individual with thoughts, beliefs, and experiences that inform our worldview. Sometimes, we may struggle to understand the views and experiences of others, but the point is that we continue to work on growing our understanding, and the bridges we build to overcome our differences can be among the strongest that we can build.

And then when we think of the world outside our caregiving community, it seems that differences are in control of everything. Political, social, economic, racial, and religious views create some of the biggest differences … and our biggest challenges. When we work on bridging our differences, we discover that the more we learn about people who are different from us, the less we have to fear.

One of the best resources we’ve found on this subject is the Bridging Differences Playbook from the Greater Good Science Center. They offer 14 skills and strategies for bridging differences, including:

• Assuming good intentions

• Practicing mindfulness

• Expanding your activities and your views

• Seeking counter-stereotypical information about others

• Focusing on individuality, not group identity

According to the playbook, being a Bridge Builder is about understanding, not persuasion, and recognizing the common humanity of others. It’s also about small steps and personal growth: “When we think about bridging differences, we usually think about grand gestures or breakthrough conversations. But the truth is that much of the work happens before those events ever take place. To make them possible, we often need to cultivate the right mindsets and psychological approach – and that’s something we can (or must) do on our own.” 

In other words, bridging differences starts with YOU, and it starts with ME. If we all do our part, think of all the bridges that can be built!