Abdul El-Sayed

“Fearmongering works because we allow it to: we play our part in the cycle of fear, blame, and hatred. We allow ourselves to respond in kind to hatred and to hit back, even though we know our actions will only escalate the hatred. We learn to hate, too. We become the equivalent opposite of those who hate us. Yet we think that our hate is righteous, excused by the hatred we have so long endured. But hatred is still hatred. It is still cold. It is still dead. And it is still dehumanizing.”
― Abdul El-Sayed, Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic

“[I]nsecurity’s sentinel symptoms are anxiety and fear. Anger and confrontation tend to be exactly the wrong tools to change the behavior or win the hearts of people who are afraid and anxious. Rage and recrimination only make them more afraid. It forces them deeper into a defensive posture.”
― Abdul El-Sayed, Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic