Mission
In the wake of the October 7th atrocities, I decided to apply the skills I teach as a psychiatrist, to shift our collective attention. In Hebrew, working to repair the world is called Tikun Olam, a powerful tool we can all use to unite. I believe that by focusing on bridges, we can shift our energy away from the tunnels of war and towards more brightness.
How can people become terrorists? Reading and listening to endless accounts of persecution throughout history, I learned that human beings need to dehumanize in order to kill. This comes from the teachings of deeply rooted hatred and misinformation, which can indoctrinate generations to come if given enough fertile ground. The simple human mind needs to reduce the world to “black-and-white thinking;” this is how we work in times of survival. This is a fear-based, simplistic way to live, that offers no space for nuance. Living in a fight-or-flight reality literally leads to “tunnel” vision, and we need to find a way to elevate from there.
We don’t have to live in a primal mindset if we shift to our more highly evolved minds, by focusing on complex connections rather than destruction.
“I do not like that man, I must get to know him better.”
— Abraham Lincoln
The best weapon we have to combat the terrors of human beings at their worst, is empathy. And this comes from an openness and willingness to understand others. As a psychiatrist, I teach that we need to not only tolerate, but relish living in the gray. The human mind is much more intelligent than an all-or-nothing perspective, where we can easily revert when our reserves are low. We are capable of such beauty and genius if given enough nutrients through love.
“One of the real ways out of conflict is humour. It builds bridges; it’s a weapon against rigid ideology, narrow thinking, intolerance.”
— Anthony McCarten
At the end of the day, human beings share the same anatomy and potential for feelings. Our incredible brains have developed over thousands of years to allow for so much complexity, so why not use what we have? If we could put aside our differences and join in our vast experiences, the world might be a better place and we might even be able to work together to preserve our planet, rather than use our precious resources to fight one another.
With this notion, I propose that we work to build bridges with one another and indulge in the beauty of diverse connections. I have shared some examples in my article, and would love to invite others to reflect on their own personal and powerful bridges, to help shift our focus from what is broken to what we can build.
I challenge you to find unique connections and please share vignettes, quotes, photos, or whatever comes to mind when you think of building bridges with others. And in doing so, I hope that you will use this opportunity to help cultivate and evolve from a world of combat to one of more peace.
We owe this to our ancestors who brought us into this magnificent and messy world from which we have evolved, to our present day selves, and to our progeny who will carry our legacy forward.
“The salvation of man is through love and in love.”
— Viktor Frankl
Emily Steinberg Fadem MD is a board-certified psychiatrist in private practice in the Upper East Side of NYC. She completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences, earned her medical school degree at the George Washington University School of Medicine, and did her residency training in psychiatry at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine. She serves as a voluntary assistant professor at Mount Sinai, where she supervises residents. She has done additional training at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. She works in her practice specifically with adults, focusing on mood and anxiety disorders, providing a host of treatment modalities and collaborating regularly through various psychotherapy groups.
