I have been thinking a lot this week about how divided the country has become. (Actually, I was partly wondering if we have always been this way, but that omnipresent news and social media have made us more aware of it). That part doesn’t matter though.
Here’s what I was thinking: Increasingly, we are being told (and are seemingly willing to believe) that people who disagree with us (whether individually or in groups) are bad/evil/wrong/destroying the country/whatever.
If you are on “the left”, you are being told that those on the right are evil. If you are on “the right” you are being told the same about “the left”. Because they are wrong, right???
Clearly!
About abortion. About gun control, About how to present history. Pick a subject. How could they be that wrong? They obviously must be stupid!
Here’s the thing, though…. Let’s say you are conservative. Let’s say you could go “full Thanos” with all of the Infinity Stones and snap your fingers and make all of the liberals/progressives just disappear. No pain, no punishment, just gone. If you are on the left, same scenario – snap your fingers, all of the conservatives disappear….
What would the result be? Utopia? All of the problems just go away?
No.
Think hard.
Here’s what I think – I think that if one side could magically eliminate the other side (without violence)…. there would STILL be a right and a left. They would take a little while to spread out to fill the spectrum again, but it would happen.
Wherever *you* happen to be on the political spectrum, there will always be people to your left and there will always be people to your right. There will always be people who believe that there should be more restrictions on guns than you. There will always be people who believe that there should be fewer. Same with access to abortion. Civil rights. Immigration.
Pick a subject. Doesn’t matter which. You will find the same thing.
Social media, the news, maybe even your friends, want you to believe that there is only one correct opinion (and coincidentally, it just happens to be THEIR opinion). They want you to believe that *only* people who agree with your views can be your friend, your ally.
They want to paint *someone* as the enemy – liberals, conservatives, rednecks, city people, straight, LGBTQ (and everything in between). They want someone to be the enemy ,and they want to be seen as the hero/savior, leading us to the light.
This is bullshit. Complete. Utter. Bullshit.
You believe what you believe because you are formed by your life experiences, your education, your family situation, your financial status, and a whole host of other things.
You know what? So is everyone else. But they had a different environment. A different situation. Different experiences.
To blindly paint their beliefs as “wrong” because they are different than yours, or because you don’t understand them…that’s just the epitome of arrogance and stupidity. If you really think you have all of the answers, I’ve got news for you – you’re not that smart and you’re not that cool.
What actually separates you from others who disagree with you? Think about it.
So, while you are sitting there being all judgmental, feeling superior and good about yourself, have you ever considered that right now – someone with opposite beliefs is having the same feelings about you?
Which of you is wrong? (probably both).
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