Let It Begin With Me

Do you remember the good ole days when you could have a casual conversation with a friend or co-worker about politics, maybe even speculate on who was going to win an election, and stating your case as to why your candidate was the best choice? I sure do. From family dinners to college classes, it was common to have such discussions where you could speak your mind and have a free exchange of ideas. I loved those intellectual conversations and good-humored banter. I asked a lot of questions and the answers I got back helped me to understand how other people think and to feel confident in forming my own opinions. I never gave anyone a hard time for disagreeing with me. In fact, their opposition only made me curious to learn more, to see it another way. We would talk for hours in-depth on a whole variety of topics. I miss it … sigh.

I suppose the biggest change we have seen from decades ago to now is how we get our news. Back then we had a handful of newspapers and magazines, and channels 2, 4 and 7 on the television. That’s it. Now, there are literally thousands of news sources and social media outlets.  You can get any news, any time – but there’s a catch. The story will always be more than just the facts about what happened. It is a tale spun from the perspective of the writers with everyone posting their opinion about it. The actual truth may be hard to decipher and, most often, the public doesn’t care anyway.

I try to stay away from political arguments online. It’s hard, though; there is so much nonsense that I always feel compelled to respond to it with logic and reason. Sadly, logic and reason have no place on social media, only emotion. Just scroll on by, Susan. For the most part, I resist commenting but in a weak moment, I will “like” a post where someone else made my point instead. Sometimes I will “like” a political cartoon or controversial comment.

If you look at interactions online from a spiritual perspective, each time you click and comment you are making a connection. You are creating a link from something positive or negative directly back to your body. Clicking on photos of loved ones or watching a puppy video can make you feel good inside. Clicking on a hate-filled post and saying something nasty in return only invites negativity into your body, causing you to feel terrible. You know this to be true. Can you honestly say that you feel better after participating in those heated exchanges?

In today’s political climate, there is no common ground. There is no respect for opposing points of view. There is no trying to understand another perspective. There is just anger. And fear.  I can’t even begin to understand it or how it came to be. I can only try not to be swallowed up by it or add to the debris field. Over time, we have created a terrifying monster and now we must learn how to tame it in order to invite it again back to the dining room table.

This Nov. 3, everyone will be rooting for their candidate. When the results are in, about half the country will feel devastated. Let that sink in. Half the country will be throwing out negativity and the other half will be responding in kind. It could get very ugly.  So what are we going to do? I say, no matter how you are feeling, be cool. Be respectful to your friends, your family, your co-workers and strangers. Realize that we need to change how we relate to each other right now or the country may never come back together.

When the dust settles, let’s start talking again.

I’ll go first.

Susan Bolan

susanbolan710@gmail.com

  Susan BOLAN