We All Mess Up: 6 Compassionate Ways to Hold Each Other Accountable The Body Is Not An Apology
This article was originally published on Medium under the title “How Do We Hold Each Other Accountable When We Mess Up?” and is republished with permission. It’s hard work being accountable. It’s even harder holding others accountable. As someone who has been on all sides of accountability: asking for help to stop harm I’m experiencing, needing to be held accountable for harm I’ve done, and helping others create paths to do the same, I’ve learned a lot of us don’t know what to do to hold others accountable when they have caused harm. The reality is that all of us have, or will, cause harm in some way or another, because we are human. We fail, we learn harmful behaviors and language, we are surrounded by violence, and replicate it sometimes un / consciously. When people cause harm it is possible for that harm to stop and for those involved to find another way to offer community retribution, support, and healing. Many folks in the communities of which I am a part have shared that th...