Set aside time for journaling, reflection, prayer, and/or meditation, using these focus questions:

• Recall a time when you had an encounter with someone who had a significantly different background, identity, or life experience from your own. What difference did the encounter make in your broader understanding of people who share that background, identity, or life experience?
• Recall a time when you had a significant encounter with someone who is part of a marginalized group to which you do not belong (e.g., groups marginalized in our culture by race, ethnicity, economic status, affectional orientation, gender identity, or ability). What did you learn from the encounter? Did you or do you generalize what you learned to enhance your understanding of the challenges facing that group? Did you find parallels between your own experiences of marginalization and the experiences of the other person?
• Did the encounters with those different from yourself lead to new action on your part? Did it lead you to take a changed ethical or moral stance?
• What role might sharing the story of our lives play in shaping our moral framework?