Most of us awakened this morning with an awareness of the magnitude of this particular day in history. Whether we intended to or not, we have come to and through this day knowing that we are bearing witness to a significant political event (or spectacle) that will impact our lives greatly, whether we like it — or not. Whether we are activated, agitated, or holding any other feelings about today’s inaugural events, our democratic republic moves on (or so we can hope.).

Every day, we bear witness to any number of life events. This makes the power of witness worthy of greater examination. The first element of bearing witness is awareness — the conscious sense that we know something of importance is happening. Our feelings about any event or experience are steeped in our values, history and beliefs. We live our lives through these considerations.

The second aspect is whether or how we decide to react and respond to any event based on how we experience it. And the third part of bearing witness is holding a memory and being able to recall the entirety of our experience.

There is an entire gamut of emotions to today’s changeover of presidential administrations. These have been chronicled in depth (to death?) in these pages as elsewhere. When we bear witness, we have the power to recall the myriad details of the event through our experience of it — where were we when? What were we doing? Who were we with? And so on. Think about all the many critical experiences in your life, and likely you will have the ability to call back most of those details.

The power of bearing witness matters. And doing so in a community or collective context enables us to reflect on and share how our witnessing has influenced us as individuals. The public sharing allows us greater insight into ourselves and the differences between us. When we witness together and are in agreement about the impact of an event, it allows for empathy to develop. This has the potential to be both powerful and poignant.

When there are differences in what comes forth in us as we bear witness, we still have the potential for insight and understanding — but it takes two more ingredients: patience and (excellent) listening without ego or reproach. Differences of perspective can be positive learning opportunities if we will them to be.

Bearing witness to our own or others’ rites of passage — life markers such as births, marriages, funerals and everything in between — enables us to experience the full range of human emotions. These hold deep meaning, and can be remembered throughout our lives. We may experience tears of happiness and sadness, laughter and joy, feelings of excitement and trepidation, and so much more when we witness all that life brings us, whether expected or serendipitous.

But the events we witness need not all be major. Last month I went to a special van Gogh art exhibit that was truly remarkable. I witnessed his works come to life in 3-D — amazing! Almost weekly, I see dozens of volunteers pulling a lunchtime meal together for up to 650 people with smooth and practiced choreography. And on weekdays, I witness my wife getting up in total silence at 4:30 a.m. for her daily gym class at the Y and then prep for her workday ahead.

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When I attended my niece’s first violin concert, she was thrilled, and so was I. When I recently fried up several dozen potato latkes for a group of friends two weeks after ACDF surgery, they were amazed, and I beamed back my happiness. These are regular life experiences for these folks, and my presence reminds me that there are routines in life worth paying attention to.

These are “private” personalized moments of bearing witness. They are relational, and they matter on both sides. People appreciate knowing that others care about them by witnessing their everyday activities.

Bearing witness can be either a personal/private or public experience. When I choose to ask others to share in some aspect of my present life circumstances, then it becomes a more public witnessing.

When people share in observing something together, it changes the metric from ”wit-ness” to ”with-ness” and grants us the opportunity to let others in for necessary and strategic support. Sometimes this is a great idea; other times, not so much.

Coming back for a final few words on bearing witness today … let’s appreciate what we can and what we still have that enables and ennobles us to speak our minds and our hearts. Let us remember that whatever comes of this day, that this, too, shall pass.

Finally, public or collective with-nessing has the potential to build community, heighten understanding and sensitivity, and catalyze a collective sense of connection. When we hold space and time for another human being as they undergo something significant, we build a bond between them and ourselves, whether they know it or not. And it’s equally true that sometimes we may hold negativity and even repulsion to a person or an event we are witnessing — yet it’s important to be “present” nevertheless. Don’t lose sight of the fact that for many, our mere presence may be our best present.

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz writes a regular column in the Recorder. A developmental and intercultural psychologist, he has facilitated change in many organizations and communities around the world. His two most recent books are “Journeying with Your Archetypes” and “Reflections on the Nature of Friendship.” Reach out to him at danielcyalowitz@gmail.com.