Well, it's been a rather long time since I've written. I'm not so good at this whole blog thing. But I've been inspired again, so here goes!
As I'm quite sure you're aware, it's election season here in the United States. You've seen the advertisements. You've read the articles. You've gotten the phone calls. And you've read the political opinions of everyone you're connected to all over your social media website of choice. But how much variety have you seen on your Facebook homepage or Twitter screen? Do all your friends agree with you?
I have seen a startling number of statuses on Facebook recently about intentionally surrounding oneself with people of the same political viewpoint. "I just unfriended someone who said they support Romney." "I'm not going to talk to anyone I know who supports Obama till after the election." "I can't believe I just found a ________ supporter on my newsfeed!" Is it a badge of honor to not associate with anyone different from you? Do you actually believe that everyone of the opposite political persuasion is someone not worth knowing?
This election season (and every one in my memory) has been filled with hatred. Attack ads are prevalent, each candidate calls in to question the character of the other, and things generally get pretty ugly. But what I've started to notice recently is that the questions about character are not just limited to the candidates. It would seem that people from both sides have a way of believing that the opposing viewpoint is not one that a good and/or rational person could legitimately hold. The way opinions are stated and arguments are made frequently indicates a belief that anyone in opposition must be either stupid or evil, or perhaps some combination of the two. People throw about criticisms of the other party seemingly with no consideration of the fact that its proponents are actually real people.
Why do we do this? How are we so comfortable with throwing approximately half of the population under the bus? I'm sure the reasons are manifold, but I'm quite convinced that a major aspect is the fact that we tend to surround ourselves with others who think the same way we do. Part of that is simply due to our situations--certain locations, schools, and occupations tend to breed or attract people of a certain ideology, so knowing only people of one viewpoint can be quite natural. I have been quite blessed to have been in a great variety of different situations and as such have had the benefit of getting to know people with a variety of beliefs. I see myself as lucky in that sense. But it is also often a self-inflicted problem. As can be seen from the statuses of my Facebook friends, it seems desirable to surround yourself with people who agree with you. It is uncomfortable to face the fact that real people disagree with you, not just a faceless mass. If real people disagree with us, there is a chance we're wrong, and we don't like to be wrong.
But it is so dangerous to only be friends with people who agree with you, partially because of what I stated above. It is so easy to vilify someone you've never met. If you don't know anyone who is from the opposing party, it remains plausible that every member of that party holds a certain set of undesirable characteristics. But if you actually befriend somebody who disagrees with you, you will likely find that they are not the way you imagined. And if we all understand people who are different from us have a lot of great qualities, we can hopefully begin to share our viewpoints in a more respectful and kind manner.
The danger doesn't stop there, however. If you only associate with people who agree with you, then your viewpoints are never challenged. It is comfortable to discuss things with those who agree with you, but it is beneficial to discuss things with those who disagree. We can learn so much from people of different beliefs even if we don't change our viewpoint at all. The ability to understand what drives opposing viewpoints and to work toward compromise could absolutely reform the political process. At the very least, we become better people when we learn to challenge ourselves. And we can do that so much better when we talk to people who disagree with us.
So go, meet somebody new who disagrees with you. And for heaven's sake, don't unfriend your friends who support the opposing candidate. Learn something new. Grow.
