Rhonda Magee - The Art of Shedding Light

Written by Tim Buckley, November 2023

How fortunate that humans are able to take perspective. It is a hugely beneficial skill; without it, we would still be trying to figure out how to use fire as a tool. But, having the potential to see things in a new light doesn’t mean it automatically happens; it’s a skill that must be activated by choice. Choosing to look at things from another perspective is a courageous act because rigid, black-and-white thinking can sometimes seem so familiar, comfortable and safe.  

At a recent CBEL Collaborative gathering, approximately 70 people took part in a simple perspective-taking exercise led by law professor and author Rhonda Magee. The notable mindfulness teacher and author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice said that,

“being open to real change on a personal level has the potential to create further shifts - interpersonal, institutional, structural, and systemic.”

The main point in Magee’s book is that major changes in the direction of social justice must start on “the inside,” meaning inside us – in one’s heart more than the intellect. The exercise she led began with a question: What brought you here today? It’s a simple enough question, even for those who are unaccustomed to opening up to strangers. The answers were varied and universally interesting. Most importantly, the exercise was an ice breaker that quickly created trust and connection, primary elements in building community resilience.

At the heart of CBEL’s Building Community Resilience (BCR) strategy are these quality-of-life outcomes:

• Every child in our community grows up in a safe, stable, nurturing home, enjoys good health, gets a world-class education, and goes on to become financially self-sufficient.

• The predictor of success for anyone living in our community is no longer determined by a person’s color, culture, creed, or zip code.

The perspective-taking exercise created goodwill and enthusiasm, and these are equally important elements in social justice efforts. All of a sudden, we are united by what we share, not divided by differences about how to get things done.

“This is no different than the days we came together around a fire,” Magee said. “We find the resources to work together and (through perspective-taking) find ways we can be present to one another, bringing diverse resources to create results.”

At the core of Magee’s message is mindfulness, a centering skill developed with practice. Mindfulness recognizes the “chatter” in our heads as natural, and allows that nervous, judgmental chatter to co-exist with a quieter, calmer place deeper inside us, a quiet that exists throughout the universe. Perspective taking becomes easier when we are rested, relaxed, and emotionally balanced. Mindfulness gradually creates a resident calmness, releasing stress from our nervous system like warm water pulls the ache from our muscles in a bath.

“Perspective-taking recognizes that everyone is struggling in different ways,” Magee said as part of the “harvesting” period after our small group sharing. “Perspective-taking allows us to appreciate the depth of our humanity while simultaneously reserving space for our diversity. It allows us to hold that complex reality while devoting ourselves in service to our community.”

And being in service to others must never exclude self-care, she added. “Perspective-taking allows us to rotate seamlessly between me and we,” she said.

Magee shared with us a final symbol of perspective-taking: a now-familiar photo of our planet taken from a spacecraft circling the Moon. And, these quotes from astronauts: “Now I know why I’m here,” said Apollo crew member Alfred Worden, “not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth.” And this one, from fellow Apollo traveler, “Oddly enough, the overriding sensation I got looking at the Earth was, ‘My god, that little thing is so fragile out there!’”

If you’re suddenly more interested in becoming part of CBEL’s growing Collaborative community, you may have just experienced a perspective change. Please contact us about your interest and we’ll provide you ample opportunity to exercise and expand your perspective.