35. Tony McAleer: Compassion is an antidote to shame.
In this episode of #charlottepodden in English, Charlotte Cronquist is meeting Tony McAleer, the author of "The cure for hate". "Compassion is the antidote to shame" says McAleer, former a white supremacist, who went from violent extremism to radical compassion.
He sat there at our dinner table. He was new to me, but we had som tantric experiences in common.
I asked why he, living far away in Canada, was in Stockholm.
He was there on a conference talking about hate.
And I got very interested.
As he was telling his story, I got more and more amazed. Is it possible that this super friendly and compassionate guy once was a neo nazi, a white supremacist? Could it be true that he, for years, saw himself ans his likes as superior to others? And how come he did break with this world, how did he actually get out of it - and turn to a person who wants to help others like him, to turn from hate to love?
Instantly I wanted to do a podcast talk with him. But it took time. Not until these covid-19-days, I asked him if he would like to join my podcast. He immediately accepted.
It's more than twenty years since he left the movement. And he has worked a lot on himself. And in this episode you will here him talk a lot about shame - and it seems like shame ("I am not okay") can make with people... and that it's possible to cure from toxic shame.
Listen and reflect on your relation to love, hate, shame and compassion.