With so many differing voices, opinions, suggestions and questions dominating our daily social discourse – it is no wonder we see more and more people voicing their fatigue about being confused on social media.
From the validity of wearing face masks to the legitimacy of news reports and how to be the best “anti-racist” – people are using the word “exhausted”. I get it.
Divisiveness, derision, demeaning tones, gaslighting, mean- spirited messages and all the other combative forces on full display definitely take a toll on the human soul.
Here is one thing I know to be true – “the left” are no more represented by vandals, thugs, looters and those who display criminal behavior than “the right” is represented by those who bomb abortion clinics, the Timothy McVeigh’s of the world who declare their white supremacist ideology by murdering innocent people or the swastika tatted hate mongers who proudly wave the confederate flag.
Here is another thing I know to be true – bad people exist and infiltrate all societal enclaves and professions. This is one of those truths that hurt.
Even though the master minds of mayhem may claim to be on a specific political team – their unbalanced mental states and propensity for violence have nothing to do with being a liberal or conservative. But each side will use the news reports of dastardly deeds to their advantage. That is the nastiness which is modern day politics.
Here is where you and I have a role. Those of us who participate in and continue to propagate untruthful, disparaging narratives and memes towards our fellow “law abiding, democracy loving” Americans – no matter what their political association – THIS IS the problem!
The “black vote” is a myth, just as the “white evangelical” vote, the “college educated female” vote and the “snowflake millennial” vote are all lump and label narratives which exist to simplify the complex and quantify group think as opposed to valuing the importance of the individual mindset. No doubt, our species is capable of being quite sheepish. But that generalized susceptibility should not and must not become societal blinders to the TRUTH that no race, religious group or generation – moves, acts, lives and votes as a monolith.
Unfortunately the game of politics is played in the “group think” arena and our two-party system sets us up for partisan warfare. The ideology of red team vs. blue team overrides the vision of our forefathers of a more perfect union, unless of course, one embraces that vision and honors it more than the team mantra.
Why can’t we all just get along? Apparently, we fail because we can’t stop beating each other up for our differences and come together with one healing, unified voice for our commonalities.
If America was a household – Mom and Dad are embattled in a bitter divorce and spend all their time blaming each other, the kids are choosing team Mom or Dad and hating their siblings who are on the “wrong” side, the grandparents will opine when asked but don’t really want to get involved and all the neighbors just hope a new, more civil family moves into the cul-de-sac. Every family, whether under one roof or the shared sky needs an adult in the room; a mature, balanced, reasonable human being who can speak with empathy, insight and wisdom in a tone that quells the confusion and relieves the exhaustion.
“Confused and exhausted in America” does not have to become our new hashtag, if you and I are willing to take off the jersey, use our individual brains to think clearly and embrace each other as fellow human beings with our hearts given to love and empathy. Now that is an idea worth propagating.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
