It is my personal belief that the masses have been deliberately dumbed down and the internet with its algorithms benefiting from "fake news" only further exacerbates the problem of division/political corruption and makes manipulation easy/ sugar coated/immediate/filtered.
People have gadgets but get their news from social media.
How else could we describe our tolerance of certain outlandish, idiotic Senators and Congressmen? We have normalized aggression, hyperbole and temper tantrums.
David, this is a brave piece you've written. I applaud you for not wading into discussions that cannot possibly end well. We speak about all this almost daily at home here, and I have come to the conclusion that another bit of the problem is sheer laziness and rigid ways of thinking.
Honestly.
Laziness, because it is WAY easier to provide/accept/believe simple solutions to incredibly complex situations and rigidity because many people won't update their set, because they have "always" felt a certain way. I just don't understand. Shouldn't we all be malleable about our way of thinking as we go along, as more information becomes available? As we evolve as people? Shouldn't we be open to alternate solutions, dialogues even if we might disagree in the end?
And that baseball story!? Just ... wow. That poor little girl. Thanks for a great piece - and glad I am not alone in my "middle path" thinking.
Spending a brief amount of time focusing on anyone that you may find challenging to any goal you may have of practicing lovingkindness and saying to them "may you be happy, may you be loved, may you find peace and tranquility", or anything along those lines, goes a long way toward enabling yourself to be more kind and tolerant.
I agree with practicing kindness but people with personality disorders do not respond to kindness, good examples or reason. Sometimes practicing tolerance is practicing detachment.
Lack of Grace is rampant in a way I've not witnessed in my life. Signs on people's lawns and cars yell, F_@k Pritzker! Kids see these signs, but the "yell-ers" do not care. If children are our future, they need to see as much kindness as possible. And it starts at home. And the baseball field.
I do believe FB has wreaked havoc on our culture. But... Pandora's not closing the box on it.
David, sorry you ran into “unkind” people. I disagree with you that lack of empathy is the root of the problem that creates the big divide. Just like you had a fifty-fifty chance to run into either kind or unkind people, the world has always been divided that way. Point me to a time when people in America were kinder. The seventies? The Industrial Revolution when people were worked to death? The time when Christians tolerated slavery? I agree more with your commentators who point at social media, lack of education and blind faith as the ongoing reason for the divide. Politicians are using social media, lack of education and blind faith as means to their end: power and wealth.
Yes, to some extent but before our generation young people were part of a family/ farm structure that forced them to think and work for that structure. That changed after WWII with the economic prosperity taking place in America.
It is my personal belief that the masses have been deliberately dumbed down and the internet with its algorithms benefiting from "fake news" only further exacerbates the problem of division/political corruption and makes manipulation easy/ sugar coated/immediate/filtered.
People have gadgets but get their news from social media.
How else could we describe our tolerance of certain outlandish, idiotic Senators and Congressmen? We have normalized aggression, hyperbole and temper tantrums.
Great piece.
David, this is a brave piece you've written. I applaud you for not wading into discussions that cannot possibly end well. We speak about all this almost daily at home here, and I have come to the conclusion that another bit of the problem is sheer laziness and rigid ways of thinking.
Honestly.
Laziness, because it is WAY easier to provide/accept/believe simple solutions to incredibly complex situations and rigidity because many people won't update their set, because they have "always" felt a certain way. I just don't understand. Shouldn't we all be malleable about our way of thinking as we go along, as more information becomes available? As we evolve as people? Shouldn't we be open to alternate solutions, dialogues even if we might disagree in the end?
And that baseball story!? Just ... wow. That poor little girl. Thanks for a great piece - and glad I am not alone in my "middle path" thinking.
Very well said. Thank you for responding.
"...we have forgotten our best selves." Acknowledging this will enable us to remember and rededicate.
I hope so.
Yes. This.
Be kind whenever possible
It is always possible
Spending a brief amount of time focusing on anyone that you may find challenging to any goal you may have of practicing lovingkindness and saying to them "may you be happy, may you be loved, may you find peace and tranquility", or anything along those lines, goes a long way toward enabling yourself to be more kind and tolerant.
I agree with practicing kindness but people with personality disorders do not respond to kindness, good examples or reason. Sometimes practicing tolerance is practicing detachment.
Be kind and empathetic. Words to live by especially in these times. This hit close to home for me. Thank you for posting.
Stay strong!
Do MAGA supporters have “better selves”?
Lack of Grace is rampant in a way I've not witnessed in my life. Signs on people's lawns and cars yell, F_@k Pritzker! Kids see these signs, but the "yell-ers" do not care. If children are our future, they need to see as much kindness as possible. And it starts at home. And the baseball field.
I do believe FB has wreaked havoc on our culture. But... Pandora's not closing the box on it.
Right on.
David, sorry you ran into “unkind” people. I disagree with you that lack of empathy is the root of the problem that creates the big divide. Just like you had a fifty-fifty chance to run into either kind or unkind people, the world has always been divided that way. Point me to a time when people in America were kinder. The seventies? The Industrial Revolution when people were worked to death? The time when Christians tolerated slavery? I agree more with your commentators who point at social media, lack of education and blind faith as the ongoing reason for the divide. Politicians are using social media, lack of education and blind faith as means to their end: power and wealth.
All good points. To me, however, it just seems like people now have a "license" to be selfish or entitled.
You mean a distortion of the self actualization movement our generation ushered in, in the 70-ties and 80-ties? We were so self-involved 🤪
You might be right. Aren’t all young people self involved? Guilty.
Yes, to some extent but before our generation young people were part of a family/ farm structure that forced them to think and work for that structure. That changed after WWII with the economic prosperity taking place in America.
So true.