If you’ve begun to learn about your highly sensitive nature, and especially if you have delved into that learning for some time, you are intimately familiar with the failings and rewards of being an HSP. You are probably also aware that your traits have existed since the cavepeople days. HSPs have been instrumental in the survival of our species.
Down through history starting with our Neandertal community, we were vital to the life of the entire tribe. We were the ones who had a keen sense of our surroundings and the dangers that existed there. Noticing all the subtleties of our environment. We were the innovators who helped advance our society. And we were the peacekeepers.
It’s that last one that is at the forefront of today’s priorities. We are living in a time of great division and animosity. We need to bring our gifts of empathy, conscientiousness, awareness of nuances in human behavior, high emotional quotient, and ability to intimately connect with others to the forefront.
It is a well-known fact that highly sensitive people tend to gravitate toward deeper interpersonal relationships. We abhor the superficial and seek out the more intimate forms of relationship. We treasure our emotional connection to others and work on building rapport with those we care about.
Given our ability to read others’ moods and sense their feelings within ourselves, we have a certain intuition and insight into people whose viewpoints differ from our own. We can better sense the fears that drive assumptions. And flaws in perception that fuel fallacy.
This puts us in a place of neutrality where we can understand both sides of an argument. Where we can plainly see false assumptions on both sides of the issue. Where we can understand where each side gets their position. Then, using our peacemaker’s traits described above, we can serve as a conduit toward a final solution all can get onboard with.
Some excellent ways to serve in this capacity are:
- As a mediator;
- Negotiator;
- Arbitrator;
- Ombudsmen;
- Policy Analyst;
- Contract Negotiation Manager;
- Conciliator;
- Jobs having to do with insurance claims – appraisers, adjusters, examiners, investigators; and
- Support jobs like fact-finders.
If working full time as a peacemaker is not your style, volunteer wherever there is tension between two or more distinct sides. You can also use your gift by writing letters to your congressmen/congresswomen or to editorial sites. When you feel strongly about an issue, get involved.
The world needs your peacemaker traits. You have the ability to change minds with the type of understanding HSPs are best at. Change minds and you change the world.
Copyright 2021, Monica Nelson
