Anyone who believes this hyper-polarized, divided culture is a positive should choke a little when pledging allegiance to the flag. But how can we tone down the blistering rhetoric and return to something a little more tolerable?
In days of yore there were some unspoken rules we followed in order to get along with one another. Those rules of engagement included keeping our personal opinions, particularly on sensitive subjects, to ourselves. Case in point, talking politics or religion at Thanksgiving with extended family members was frowned upon, warned against, and generally considered anathema. It wasn’t considered normal (or healthy) to know what everybody thought about everything all the time. I imagine we all know at least one person we liked a lot better before we knew about their personal persuasions.
It’s not that folks haven’t always had passionate opinions about things, they have, but if you were lucky, you escaped those family dinners with without ever finding out grandpa was a card-carrying member of The John Birch Society, the slightly odd uncle was convicted for chaining himself to a bulldozer during a protest, and the shy cousin recently escaped from a para-religious cult. You know, “normal” family stuff — with the caveat that there is no such thing as “normal” when it comes to humans.
These days opinions (the lowest form of knowledge, according to Plato) are a dime a dozen. Maybe a penny a dozen. They’re everywhere… untested, unwarranted, unsolicited, uninformed, and largely unwanted. The number of people who feel compelled to comment on social media without A) reading the entire post or article, B) living in the area, or C) having any personal experience on the topic at hand, is alarming and divisive.
Here’s a concept: You are not obligated to have an opinion about everything. Nor are you obligated to share any opinions you may have, unless you are expressly asked to do so. Further, sharing every opinion you have about every topic is not an indicator of your intelligence, wisdom or common sense. Perhaps it’s time to step away from the battles of the talking heads where nothing of value is actually being said. Change the channel, turn the page, or just keep scrolling. You are not required to engage.
That’s freeing. And it might just be the key to getting society out of the ditch and back toward something that looks like one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
