See No Stranger
See No Stranger
Valarie Kaur
Tara Brach
Highly recommend. - Tara Brach
+
1
All books

See No Stranger

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

Valarie Kaur
By
Valarie Kaur
4.5
3882
ratings on Goodreads

In "See No Stranger," Valarie Kaur embarks on a transformative exploration of revolutionary love as the antidote to the deep-seated divisions and animosities that plague our times. With a compassionate eye and a fearless heart, Kaur invites us on a journey that extends love in three pivotal directions: towards others, our adversaries, and ourselves. This profound practice encourages us to perceive no one as a stranger but as a part of ourselves we have yet to understand. Through this lens of interconnectedness, Kaur argues, we can begin the essential work of healing our fractured world and nurturing our collective well-being. Drawing from her rich tapestry of experiences as a Sikh activist, civil rights lawyer, and filmmaker, Kaur shares her personal odyssey—from grappling with identity in the farmlands of California to confronting the horrors of hate crimes post-9/11, and beyond. Her narrative is interwoven with insights from a diverse range of voices—sages, scientists, and activists alike—offering a powerful reclamation of love as a dynamic force capable of sparking change. "See No Stranger" is a clarion call to action, challenging each of us to embody radical empathy and to reimagine not only how we view others but how we engage with our world at large, paving the way for a future rooted in unconditional love.

Read more
Released
2020
16 Jun
Length
389
Pages

1

recommendations

recommendation

Highly recommend. - Tara Brach
Deep listening is an act of surrender. We risk being changed by what we hear. When I really want to hear another person's story, I try to leave my preconceptions at the door and draw close to their telling. I am always partially listening to the thoughts in my own head when others are speaking, so I consciously quiet my thoughts and begin to listen with my senses. Empathy is cognitive and emotional—to inhabit another person's view of the world is to feel the world with them. But I also know that it's okay if I don't feel very much for them at all. I just need to feel safe enough to stay curious. The most critical part of listening is asking what is at stake for the other person. I try to understand what matters to them, not what I think matters. Sometimes I start to lose myself in their story. As soon as I notice feeling unmoored, I try to pull myself back into my body, like returning home. As Hannah Arendt says, 'One trains one's imagination to go visiting.' When the story is done, we must return to our skin, our own worldview, and notice how we have been changed by our visit. So I ask myself, What is this story demanding of me? What will I do now that I know this?
— Valarie Kaur, See No Stranger

Similar recommendations

View all
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
11
people
person
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Walter Isaacson
9
people
person
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
9
people
person
Becoming Steve Jobs
Becoming Steve Jobs
Brent Schlender
8
people
person
Educated
Educated
Tara Westover
8
people
person
Einstein
Einstein
Walter Isaacson
8
people
person
When Breath Becomes Air
8
people
person
12 Rules for Life
12 Rules for Life
Jordan Peterson
7
people
person
Mountains Beyond Mountains
7
people
person
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
7
people
person

This site is part of Amazon’s Associates Program. Purchasing books recommended by successful individuals through my links earns us a small commission, helping keep the site running, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site!