If you have spent much time on social media over the last few weeks (or ever), you have likely seen posts, shares, and the like advocating a certain stance, position, or opinion. During this time, when emotions are running high, many share, comment, or like something with little thought or reflection.
This behavior often reveals the fruit of seeds planted in our hearts and minds.
Confirmation bias runs rampant throughout our society, not just this week, but regularly. We listen to news channels supporting our views. We read books and articles supporting our views. We share posts supporting our views. We commiserate with people supporting our views. We comment on threads supporting our views.
While this phenomenon is not new, it has been front and center during this time of civil unrest. News feeds are filled with people sharing posts or making comments void of deliberation, a simple check of accuracy, or compassion. Yes, there are plenty of posts showing those things, but many are not. This tends to sharpen the animosity, widen the divide, and suffocate dialogue, often by turning a complex situation into a battle of black-and-white positions.
Unfortunately, both on social media and in face-to-face encounters, we can end up screaming at each other more than listening.
In my journey of self-discovery and healing, there have been many important lessons learned. One which applies to this current situation is: Until we learn to love even the most broken parts of who we are – both individually and collectively – we cannot find true, deep healing.
We must carefully avoid the trap of thinking because we believe our position is correct, we have all the right answers. Additionally, we cannot allow ourselves to think the other person is completely wrong.
Your views about a situation may be closest to the truth, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t learn something from those who disagree with us, regardless of how vehement that disagreement might be.
We must speak out for what we believe in, but how we voice our position can make all the difference.
Until we learn to listen more, open our minds, and speak less, fights will continue, one side’s screams provoking the other side’s scream, ad infinitum. Far too often those screams lead to violence.
There is no easy solution. This has been the way of the world throughout history; war, murder, and destruction serving witness to our inability to embrace this peaceful but challenging pathway.
My journey to internal peace includes embracing even the ugliest and most painful parts of my past, welcoming them to the light, and learning from them to move towards healing. It is not easy, but it offers tastes of Shalom.
Oh, that our world could begin moving past hatred, step into the tension, love their neighbors and enemies, and walk together toward the peace we all long for deep inside.
Breaking Into Peace 