Facebook, Internet News, and TV News have become exhausting to me because they see to be full of people screaming at each other. Rather than having thoughtful discussions about difficult topics, we seem to have reduced things to two talking heads yelling their opinions and not listening to each other.
The problem is that the world is grey, not black and white. Oh, it would be so much easier if it WAS black and white. How fun and comforting it is to have the man in the black hat who is the bad guy, and the man in the white hat who swoops in to save the day. We know exactly who to root for. The morals and choices are clear.
But in the real world, everything is actually grey. This is harder, this is not as easy or comforting, this requires careful THOUGHT and CONSIDERATION. But most people take the easy way, take their position, and then hold on for dear life.
Nothing is more dangerous than a person who is absolutely certain that they are right. This really stems from fear. I find I can have some compassion for people if I see this fearful place they are coming from. If you are fearful about something then you tend to hole up and fight, AND decide that you have to convince as many people as possible to agree with you, since this makes you feel better about your position.
Sadly, it seems that these fearful folk have convinced themselves it’s okay to lie and make things up to get others to agree….as long as a bunch of us all feel the same way. Then they can feel less unsure and fearful, and can allow themselves to overlook those who may be trampled or damaged in the wake of their fearful crusade. And our brain actually is wired for this "cognitivie dissonance" so that we can overlook or rationalize away facts to protect our position.
But of course having many who agree with you does not mean you are right, though the numbers who agree make us feel better. Most issues are grey. So thinkers will be less certain and will move slower to form an opinion. But this is hard and takes time. Our culture seems to have less tolerance for those things every day.
I’m always happy to learn that I’ve been wrong about something. I DO like to be right and to know better, and I’m ready to find out the nuances of a subject and expand my understanding. I’m no pushover, and I won’t suffer fools, but I will hear what you have to say. Changing my opinion can be scary to many, but I do enjoy getting things right.
But nothing is more dangerous than the half-informed man who has an opinion and is fearful and is absolutely CERTAIN about something. Then logic is closed and battle lines are drawn.
So I try to see through all the politicians and news shows and religious extremists who make things up or deny facts to buffer their positions. I see their fear, I know our brains like to be certain and can lead us into this denial, and I try to know better. And I try to be thoughtful and patient and live in the grey of our world. It takes more effort and is less comforting, but it’s what an educated man of society should do. And I encourage all those around me to try to do the same. This is the hope of our society for the future, and the kind of world I want to live in.