LIFE FORMS IN MY MARGINS
This activity is a self-assessment tool to help us explore and find any learned prejudices and stereotypes we may unconsciously believe.
Print this PDF and do the activity. All instructions are included in the PDF.
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*This activity was based on an activity taught by the former nonprofit City-House.
PURPOSE: This activity is a self-assessment tool to help us explore and find any learned prejudices and stereotypes we may unconsciously believe. Once identified, these beliefs may be investigated, challenged, seen to be false, and replaced with more truthful, helpful, and life-affirming beliefs that allow us to relate in a wise, loving, compassionate manner with all life forms.
How to Do It: See the picture of rings on the second page. In these rings, or outside of them, write where you place the humans, animals, and life forms based on the descriptions provided. We also ask that you place the different parts of your body-mind (see list below) in the ring too, so you see which parts of yourself you love and which parts you judge.
You're basically putting individuals and groups into one of four categories:
Center Ring: Life forms you appreciate. You make sacrifices to improve their wellbeing. You strive to not harm them directly or indirectly.
Second Ring: Life forms you sometimes appreciate and sometimes don't. At times, you might inconvenience yourself to improve their wellbeing. You may harm them directly or indirectly, with or without guilt.
Third Ring: Life forms you fear, hate, or think of as evil. You would not lift a finger to improve their wellbeing. Your actions directly or indirectly harm them, and you have no guilt.
Outside the Rings: Life forms you don't care about or don't know what to do with. You generally would not lift a finger to improve their wellbeing. Your actions may directly or indirectly harm them, but you don't know, and don't care.
Tips:
• Be honest and genuine. This works best when you are honest and genuine. Don't share your answers with others if that helps you feel safer in doing the activity.
• Be compassionate to yourself. You did not ask for your family, culture, and experiences to condition yourself with hurtful prejudices and stereotypes, so if you find them, be compassionate to yourself, as they are not your fault, and do not reflect badly on you.
• Celebrate your loving intentions. This activity is done out of love to help you awaken and to create Beloved Community where all life is able to thrive. That is a beautiful and wonderful intention to be celebrated and enjoyed. Way to go!
Possible Groups to Place in the Rings
We list these groups to help stimulate your creativity, and so you can reflect on your relationships to all of these life forms. Embrace the freedom to break these groups up if different life forms within a group belong in different rings. For example, within your family members maybe you feel safe with your sister and brother, but uncomfortable around your aunt, and indifferent about your uncle. Simply use this list to help jump-start your creativity in doing this activity.
Your Body/Mind
Notice how you relate to individuals states and groups of thought forms and add them to the rings:
Mental States (tired, wired, brain fog, etc.)
Bodily States (exhausted, ill, in pain, cold, hot, etc.)
Emotional States (anger, hate, crying, fear, etc.)
Thought Forms (skillful, unskillful, repetitive, judgmental, etc.)
Body parts (skin, hair, eyes, body shape, etc.)
Humans
Family members
Homeless people
Poor people
Rich people
People of other economic classes
Asian people
Black people
White people
Hispanic people
People of other ethnicities, races, and from other countries
Women
Men
Transgender or nonbinary people
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people
People of other gender identities or sexual orientations
Christians
Catholics
Protestants
Muslims
Jewish people
Hinduists
Taoists
Buddhists
Animists
Atheists
Agnostics
Scientists
Philosophers
People of other wisdom traditions
Urban people
Rural people
Educated people
Uneducated people
Conventionally beautiful people
Conventionally ugly people
Obese people
Overweight people
Skinny people
People with physical disabilities
People with mental disabilities
People with invisible disabilities
Conservatives
Democrats
Socialists
Authoritarians
Communists
Anarchists
People who support other political positions
Politicians
Lawyers
Tax Collectors
Doctors
Servants
Wait staff
Janitors
People who work in other jobs
White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, etc.
Black Lives Matter activists
Abortion providers
Pro-Lifers
Pro-Choicers
Animal activists
Vegans/vegetarians
Occupy activists
Tea Party activists
Q Anon activists
Other kinds of activists
Criminals
Terrorists
Rapists
Murderers
Other people who do harm to people, animals, or the planet
Non-human Animals
Cats
Dogs (poodles, pit bulls, etc.)
Fish
Rabbits
Other individual or species of animal companions
Deer
Squirrels
Rats
Mice
Insects
Spiders
Other species of wildlife
Monkeys
Beagles
Cats
Rats
Mice
Animals used in laboratories and cosmetic testing
Elephants
Lions
Tigers
Bears
Horses
Bulls
Animals used to perform in circuses, rodeos, and other acts of entertainment
Mink
Bobcat
Rabbits
Lynx
Cows
Animals raised or trapped for their pelts
Pigs
Cows
Chickens
Sheep
Turkeys
Fish
Animals raised to be eaten
Other Life Forms
Backyard
Neighborhood
Town
Other lands and ecosystems near you
Oceans
Rivers (Mississippi, Crow, etc.)
Lakes
Other bodies of water
Prairies
Mountains
Forests
Deserts
Other types of terrain
Trees
Shrubs
Bushes
Flowers
Weeds
Invasive plants
Other types of plants
Rocks
Soils
Minerals
Global Climate
Landfills
Asphalt parking lots
Mines
Superfund sites
Overgrazed fields
Manure lagoons
Polluted waterways
The garbage patches in the ocean
Bleached coral reefs
Nuclear power stations that store spent fuel rods
Nuclear bomb test sites
Other ecosystems and life forms that have been poisoned or harmed by human activity
I’ve done the activity, but what does it all mean?
That is for you, and your inner love and wisdom to decide. Trust your inner love and wisdom. It really does know what to do with the information.