Radical Friendship : Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World

A case for friendship as a radical practice of love, courage, and trust, and seven strategies that pave the way for profound social change. Grounded in the Buddha’s teachings on spiritual friendship, Radical Friendship shares seven strategies to help us embody our deepest values in all of our relationships. Drawing on her experiences as a leading meditation teacher, as well as personal stories of growing up multiracial in a racist world, Kate Johnson brings a fresh take on time-honored wisdom to help us connect more authentically with ourselves, with our friends and family, and within our communities. The divides we experience within us and between us are not only a threat to our physical and emotional health—they are also the weapons and the outcomes of structural oppression. But through wise relationships, it is possible to transform the barriers created by societal injustice. Johnson leads us on a journey to becoming better friends by offering ways to show up for our own and each other’s liberation at every stage of a relationship. Each chapter ends with a meditation or reflection practice to help readers cultivate vibrant, harmonious, revolutionary friendships. Radical Friendship offers a path of depth and hope and shows us the importance of working toward collective wellbeing, one relationship at a time. A case for friendship as a radical practice of love, courage, and trust, and seven strategies that pave the way for profound social change. Grounded in the Buddha’s teachings on spiritual friendship, Radical Friendship shares seven strategies to help us embody our deepest values in all of our relationships. Drawing on her experiences as a leading meditation teacher, as well as personal stories of growing up multiracial in a racist world, Kate Johnson brings a fresh take on time-honoured wisdom to help us connect more authentically with ourselves, with our friends and family, and within our communities. The divides we experience within us and between us are not only a threat to our physical and emotional health—they are also the weapons and the outcomes of structural oppression. But through wise relationships, it is possible to transform the barriers created by societal injustice. Johnson leads us on a journey to becoming better friends by offering ways to show up for our own and each other’s liberation at every stage of a relationship. Each chapter ends with a meditation or reflection practice to help readers cultivate vibrant, harmonious, revolutionary friendships. Radical Friendship offers a path of depth and hope and shows us the importance of working toward collective well-being, one relationship at a time. "A guide to developing and maintaining lasting friendships that transcend difference. At the core of every real friendship is a bond bound by trust and understanding. At the core of discrimination is othering informed by distrust and misunderstanding. Kate Johnson believes that we can reconcile these two truths and create a path toward true equality by building friendships across divides. Radical Friendship draws on Johnson's experience as a biracial woman and her work in anti-bias education to guide us through forming relationships that bridge differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, faith, physical ability, and more. Grounded in the Buddhist teachings of awareness, acceptance, and mindfulness, this book provides us with seven actionable strategies to make friends with ourselves and others. Johnson leads us on our journey to becoming a true friend by providing advice and guidance through every stage of a relationship, including meeting someone new, growing a friendship, or repairing existing tensions. Creating inclusive communities goes beyond a simple list of do's and don'ts, and Radical Friendship shows us the importance of working toward equality one relationship at a time"-- Provided by publisher **A case for friendship as a radical practice of love, courage, and trust, and seven strategies that pave the way for profound social change.**__Radical Friendship____Radical Friendship__