In the last month or so, I have been blessed to attend several events for organizations helping those fighting cancer. It has been inspiring, hopeful, and sobering to listen to stories of survivors and others who have gained their wings.
We invest billions of dollar and countless hours hoping to cure cancer: breast, blood, lung, brain, and other varieties of this terrible disease.
There is currently a different kind of cancer spreading through the body politic. It spreads via social media posts, news opinion shows, bumper stickers, T-shirts, conversations, and a variety of others methods.
The dictionary defines cancer as “a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.” Is there a better word to describe what is going on our world—and especially our nation—today?
We are surrounded by uncontrolled division, fed by silos of skewed and partisan information created by cable news channels, social media logarithms, and other forms of confirmation bias. I see this clearly at the gym while perusing the news coverage of multiple networks. My social media newsfeeds reveal it through websites referenced and shared. It appears in conversations where sources which are questionable at best are sometimes used to support or spread theories and opinions.
I recognize these biases exist in my world. Even in my best efforts to search for the broadest spectrum of informational sources, my perspective is shaped in a multitude of ways.
How do we cure this cancer? Let’s consider a few steps which can move us in the right direction:
Do our homework. Don’t let our favorite sources of information be our only sources. Whether news channels or social media websites, the primary goal is to make money. The more eyeballs looking and listening, the more revenue they generate. This is often done by emotional manipulation (more on that in a minute). When someone is emotionally connected to certain ways of thinking, they are even more likely to remain faithful consumers of those who offer information confirming existing viewpoints.
Check our emotions. Emotions are a crucial part of who we are, but they can cloud our ability to think clearly. Anger and fear feed this cancer and increase division, exacerbating our fear of those who seemingly oppose or threaten our way of life, our beliefs, and our rights. While there are times anger and fear are well founded, many times it is misplaced or exaggerated. This can actually drown out moments when anger and fear are appropriate. Like the boy who cried wolf, ongoing vitriol towards those we disagree with creates a fog of emotion where we can’t see anything clearly.
Listen to the other person, really listen. Too often we shout at each other instead of listening to each other. Rather than immediately attacking differences, seek out common ground. While someone else’s solution to an issue might seem anathema to you, often their end goal might be closer to yours than you realize. We will never know unless we truly listen.
Embrace the humanity of the other person. Can we all admit everyone has at least a little malevolence inside them? None of us are perfect, completely free of flaws including hate and prejudice. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5:43-44). Later in the same discourse, he says, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). My friends, we will not be more human until we witness to the humanity in those we consider enemies.
While not an exhaustive list, doing our homework, checking our emotions, listening to the other person, and embracing the humanity of the other moves us closer to curing the cancer slowly killing our nation and world. Each calls us to a thoughtful examination of our own attitudes and behaviors before broaching the other person’s. We will only cure this cancer when we face our own illness before attacking any perceived illness of another. Inside our own hearts and minds is where the healing will and must begin.
Breaking Into Peace 