Dogma in Action Journaling Questions

Think of a time you offered help, resources, or advice to someone in a different life circumstance than your own. When it comes to that act of giving — who did it center, you or them? What did you assume they needed, and did you ever actually ask?

Regarding the White Savior Complex — where have you seen it show up in your community, workplace, or social media feed? What was your first reaction, and what shifted when you looked more closely?

Speaking of good intentions — recall a moment when yours didn’t land the way you hoped. What did that experience teach you about the gap between what you meant to do and what actually happened for the other person?

When it comes to the power to decide what others need — in what areas of your life, professionally, relationally, or philanthropically, do you hold that power? How often do you actually ask first?

On the subject of ego — is there any cause, community, or relationship where your involvement is partly about how it makes you look or feel? What would it mean to release that story?

Speaking of proximity and trust — think of a community or group you want to support or advocate for. How close are you, really? What would genuine trust-building need to look like before you act on their behalf?

Regarding the pattern of swooping in and leaving — have you ever done this, personally or professionally, and then exited once the moment passed? What did you leave behind, and what did your departure cost the people still living inside that situation?

When it comes to how you were raised to think about giving and charity — what assumptions came embedded in those early lessons? Which ones are you still carrying, and which ones deserve a harder look?

Speaking of wealth and privilege as a license to decide — where do you see that dynamic playing out in institutions you’re part of? What would a more equitable model of decision-making actually look like there?

Regarding invisible power and unseen labor — whose work goes unrecognized in your circles? How might you begin to shift that, even in a small way?

On the subject of colonial echoes — what narratives about “helping,” “uplifting,” or “civilizing” others were you taught, explicitly or implicitly? Where do you still hear those echoes in how you think or speak?

When it comes to walking the harder road of self-awareness — what is one specific bias, assumption, or habit you’re willing to examine more honestly starting today, and what is your first concrete step?

How does the monocultural lens also define who is “wealthy” and who is “worthy” of being called a philanthropist? How does it minimize other forms of giving (such as volunteerism or time) over money?

Where have stereotypical ideas about “the other” determined to whom, how much, and how aid is distributed?

What role does exoticism and Fetishization play in philanthropy and charity, here and “over there”?

Where do you see white savior vibes most prominently showing up in how donors and others talk about themselves and their giving?