Beware the walking dead who eat the brains of those around them and whose words destroy, mock, and jeer from both sides of the political fence. It never ceases to amazing me how quickly people flaunt their superiority in foolish ways--never once pondering the reasons behind opposing views or even the validity of the views they regurgitate from others. Memes fling across Facebook without so much as batting an eye in question. It is repulsive.
Where are the people willing to question? Where are the people willing to discuss? Attempts at mere discussion and walking in the shoes of another simply yields immediate criticism and hate--even from those who consider themselves humanist or Christian. Anyone who disagrees is clearly evil, incompetent, stupid, blind, deaf, or whatever. Look, nearly half our population is in stark contrast with one another. Clearly none of this is an offshoot of mere stupidity. We have evolved into our ideas and opinions over time via genes, upbringing, and environment. Things are not as obvious to others as we think they ought to be. Just as obvious as we see our own views, so too do those of the opposing views. Because we both see our views as obvious, we blind ourselves to the plight of others in understanding as well as to our own propensity to be wrong.
We need to wisen up. It should be clear that we are all just as capable of being wrong as anyone else and that any wrongness a person has is not a mere choice to be wrong. They may be stubborn and certainly emotion and ego gets in the way, but even that is a safety mechanism due to genes or upbringing and is all the more reason to leave out the insults. We cannot change a mind by insulting an ego and damaging emotional health. It is a scientifically proven fact to merely aid in solidifying false beliefs. Instead of hating all those who disagree, let us discuss and have some real conversations without the backbiting. Humanists should not be claiming that someone's lack of concern for a prisoner deems them worthy of being hung. Christians should not be claiming that a man got his just desserts when dying from drug withdrawal. We all have our own issues and we all deal with them in different ways based upon what nature has bestowed upon us. We need to be far more understanding and far less judgmental. Only then can we start to change minds and opinions. Spouting our insults and derogatory memes is not going to change the world for the positive. It will change the world for the negative. Persistence in understanding and courtesy of everyone will change the world for the positive. Jump on the bandwagon of peace, all you who claim to promote it.
I imagine the world has always been this way with dichotomy of opinions and beliefs leading to the insult and murder of others. The physical murders are dying down, but the verbal assaults are all the more staggering and the emotional deaths are clearly taking their toll. We need to start uplifting one another in peace even if we disagree rather than bashing their stupidity which is no choice of anyone. We are what our surroundings have made us. We need to overcome our knee-jerk reaction which hates those who disagree and gently provide explanation for our position while politely listening and asking for clarification of theirs. This is how friendships develop even between rivals of faith and opinion. Such friendship is what slowly morphs the ideas and opinions of one another toward a common ground of understanding--an understanding usually more grounded in truth.
Before we click that share button on a meme or a news story, we need to ask ourselves whether or not it is true, whether or not it is kind, if it emphasizes a biased opinion or puts down the opinions of others. If it provides merely anger and hate, it is not beneficial except in uplifting one's own bubble. The more we bubble ourselves, the more we will have a conflict. Merge the bubbles together--we are one race: the human race. Reach out to those who disagree and discuss. Enough with the hate and enough with the knee-jerk reactions of rage. Our worldwide mental capacity looks like a teenager who believes he has got everything figured out and all the adults are morons. We need to recognize our own failings in cognition, understanding, and lack of total knowledge. We do not know everything no matter how much we believe we do and we are never presented with the full story. Peaceful discourse will make a greater difference over the fear of being ostracized. We want people to be kind, so let us be kind. It will always be for the better. Please share. The world can use more peaceful people--especially from those who claim to offer it.
Where are the people willing to question? Where are the people willing to discuss? Attempts at mere discussion and walking in the shoes of another simply yields immediate criticism and hate--even from those who consider themselves humanist or Christian. Anyone who disagrees is clearly evil, incompetent, stupid, blind, deaf, or whatever. Look, nearly half our population is in stark contrast with one another. Clearly none of this is an offshoot of mere stupidity. We have evolved into our ideas and opinions over time via genes, upbringing, and environment. Things are not as obvious to others as we think they ought to be. Just as obvious as we see our own views, so too do those of the opposing views. Because we both see our views as obvious, we blind ourselves to the plight of others in understanding as well as to our own propensity to be wrong.
We need to wisen up. It should be clear that we are all just as capable of being wrong as anyone else and that any wrongness a person has is not a mere choice to be wrong. They may be stubborn and certainly emotion and ego gets in the way, but even that is a safety mechanism due to genes or upbringing and is all the more reason to leave out the insults. We cannot change a mind by insulting an ego and damaging emotional health. It is a scientifically proven fact to merely aid in solidifying false beliefs. Instead of hating all those who disagree, let us discuss and have some real conversations without the backbiting. Humanists should not be claiming that someone's lack of concern for a prisoner deems them worthy of being hung. Christians should not be claiming that a man got his just desserts when dying from drug withdrawal. We all have our own issues and we all deal with them in different ways based upon what nature has bestowed upon us. We need to be far more understanding and far less judgmental. Only then can we start to change minds and opinions. Spouting our insults and derogatory memes is not going to change the world for the positive. It will change the world for the negative. Persistence in understanding and courtesy of everyone will change the world for the positive. Jump on the bandwagon of peace, all you who claim to promote it.
I imagine the world has always been this way with dichotomy of opinions and beliefs leading to the insult and murder of others. The physical murders are dying down, but the verbal assaults are all the more staggering and the emotional deaths are clearly taking their toll. We need to start uplifting one another in peace even if we disagree rather than bashing their stupidity which is no choice of anyone. We are what our surroundings have made us. We need to overcome our knee-jerk reaction which hates those who disagree and gently provide explanation for our position while politely listening and asking for clarification of theirs. This is how friendships develop even between rivals of faith and opinion. Such friendship is what slowly morphs the ideas and opinions of one another toward a common ground of understanding--an understanding usually more grounded in truth.
Before we click that share button on a meme or a news story, we need to ask ourselves whether or not it is true, whether or not it is kind, if it emphasizes a biased opinion or puts down the opinions of others. If it provides merely anger and hate, it is not beneficial except in uplifting one's own bubble. The more we bubble ourselves, the more we will have a conflict. Merge the bubbles together--we are one race: the human race. Reach out to those who disagree and discuss. Enough with the hate and enough with the knee-jerk reactions of rage. Our worldwide mental capacity looks like a teenager who believes he has got everything figured out and all the adults are morons. We need to recognize our own failings in cognition, understanding, and lack of total knowledge. We do not know everything no matter how much we believe we do and we are never presented with the full story. Peaceful discourse will make a greater difference over the fear of being ostracized. We want people to be kind, so let us be kind. It will always be for the better. Please share. The world can use more peaceful people--especially from those who claim to offer it.
No comments:
Post a Comment