I know that sounds trite, but I believe it to be true. The human experience is such that for all of us, there are commonalities and I believe that if we recognize that, others may not be as hard to understand as we think.
This is not new thinking for me; I have worked very hard on meeting people where they are, not where I think they should be. What is new is that I feel a need to share my views on the state of our society. Not wanting to indulge in what may be seen as fact less complaints, I will stick to what I believe is rather evident. Our society is struggling to find a way to respect, support, and elevate each of us. I am positing that the only way to do that is to find what is similar in us, and not only focus on what is different.
Just as we cannot lump together all who are sick as the same, all who are of a particular political party as the same, all who believe in their religion as the same, we cannot lump all who are not any of the above as different. I believe that is a huge mistake. And I am beginning to recognize that the corrosion that I feel all around me is somehow tied into the “different.” We are so busy parsing out who is responsible for the state we are in that we can’t hold a mirror to ourselves and see what part we may have. Perhaps deciding that someone of a different party is leading to the destruction of our little universe, we can decide to be more openminded about their views. Maybe the defensive posture we all seem to take when our political party or our religion is questioned could be the opening to a dialogue about what we see that is similar…and begin to come together from there.
One of my first moments of awakening to “same” was decades ago when our synagogue hosted an Ecumenical Passover Seder with the Catholic church in the area. It was wonderful to share Passover with the Catholic parishioners and to educate them on the reason for the holiday. The springtime ritual, which is so closely aligned with Easter, showed us that we were continuing a tradition started by our ancestors so long ago…something we all had in common.
No doubt, you have had many awakenings such as this, and if I can suggest something not radical, just respectful, try to imagine the next time you are frustrated with the state of our society, that perhaps everyone seems to feel the same…a place to start!
I never had any issues with people thinking differently than me until the MAGA crowd was formed by the previous president. There was just so much hate within that crowd, it is hard to look for the good in them. I realize they belong to a cult and like most cults, they are brainwashed, but it doesn’t make it easier to accept them for who they are. Just my opinion.
Dear Ellyn,
You have voiced an important prescription for our days.
The current ethos to classify and vilify has damaged our society, removing personal responsibility, meritocracy, and respect.
Let’s seek common ground, starting with our shared pride and gratitude living in America