Not Like the Other

“One of these things is not like the other,” they used to sing on Sesame Street, “one of these things just doesn’t belong.” The game was to guess what item didn’t fit as part of a set. But they sing the song differently now. The good folks of Sesame Street have figured out that being different from those around you doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t belong.

Is there anywhere in your life where you are obviously different from others in your “set,” yet you still feel that you belong?

Columbus Day

In the words of singer/story teller Nancy Schimmel:

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
It was a courageous thing to do,
But someone was already here.

The power and privilege of the Europeans led Columbus and those who came after him to believe that they were “discovering” a land that had been occupied for thousands of years.

In what ways might privilege distort how you view your accomplishments or your place in the world?