Fists

I scroll through my Facebook feed and man… are we ever talking over each other’s heads.

One friend posts a meme with false, faulty, or disingenuous information with a comment such as, “See, President A, B, or C is the DEVIL INCARNATE!”

Very next friend posts a meme with false, faulty, or disingenuous information with a comment such as, “See, President A, B, or C is the SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND!”

And I’m like… Really?

I once confronted someone who posted a photo with a comment that was verifiably, and quite easily so, false. I showed him the evidence that the photo was fabricated. 

Did he remove it? 

Nope. He wrote that even though he acknowledged it was false, he “still liked it.”

I get so frustrated by all of this because we’re so focused on winning. And it’s on both sides of the aisle—people who condemned stuff the last guy did accept it when their guy does it, and vice versa. 

Here’s a quick example… 

During the debates for the Obama/Romney election, Obama mocked Romney’s statement that Russia was the biggest geopolitical threat to the United States. He said something to the effect of, “The 1980s called and they want their foreign policy back.” Laughter.

NOW, I’ve heard people on that same side of the aisle say, “Russia is our sworn enemy and we’ve known this for decades!”

And it’s the exact opposite on the opposite side of the aisle. People who lauded Romney and jeered at how out of touch Obama was back then are saying, “Eh, you know Russia’s not that bad,” today.

Give me a break, people.

The fact of the matter is, we have a lot more in common than we might realize, but we have to LISTEN to each other if we’re ever going to learn that.

We are all people who have very limited grasps on very complex issues.

And we won’t change a damned thing by hurling figurative rocks at each other.

Can we unclench fists long enough to allow the idea that we may not be right about EVERYTHING? That others may actually have a point of view that we can learn from?

And can we for the love of god, drop this whole, “You disagree with me, therefore you’re a terrible person business?”

Also, just as a reminder… As I stated at the beginning of this blog—I have friends on BOTH sides, from staunch, Bible-belt conservatives to outright Communists, and I am not willing to sacrifice a friend over a political disagreement.

I have disagreed with many of you (and still do). 

But I have listened to you and will listen more. 

And I have learned from you… SO much.

Let’s change the world for the better, but let’s do it with kindness, humility, and a dash of respect for our brothers and sisters of the human kind.