Sunday, January 10, 2021

3 Challenges: A Response to Political Unrest in the United States

 


Wisconsin is beautiful right now. We've had several days of foggy mornings that freeze into frosty afternoons. The whole neighborhood for miles looks like Narnia. It's a harsh contrast to the ugly realities (and fantasies) we're living with. I find myself in a similar situation to last spring. I don't have anything to say regarding specific policies, parties, or politicians. I have lots of opinions (anyone who knows me knows that I have many, many opinions on many, many things). However I think the last thing the world needs right now is one more political opinion. 


I have three challenges for you. 

1) Listen. 

Listen to your enemies. Listen to the idiots on Facebook. If you are on the right, listen to the left. If you are on the left, listen to the right. If you love Trump, consider why people hate him. If you hate Trump, consider why people love him. If you are white, listen to the black voices. If you are religious, listen to atheistic and agnostic voices. Listen to the conspiracy theorists. Hear out our fellow Americans no matter how wrong or misguided or terrifying or outrageous you think they are. You don't have to agree. It is possible to listen and to care enough to hear while being 100% opposed to someone's views. Hate injustice. Hate stupidity. Don't hate each other. Don't use someone else's mistakes or wrongdoing to excuse your own wrong behavior. Again for the people in the back: Stop using other people's behavior as an excuse! This is only ever going to get worse unless we choose to be the bigger person. 

It is easy to be outraged. It is easy to feel good about getting angry and passionate about a topic in the name of truth and justice. It is so much harder and more powerful to listen with compassion. 

Believe it or not - none of us are right about everything! There are many beliefs I hold that I am wrong about. I will change many of my beliefs in the following years of my life. Heck, I've changed many of my beliefs in the last twelve months. 

I'm still working on this. I am more prone to talking about myself than actively listening to the people around me, but I'm learning to change my own heart and hold space for the people around me. 



2) Do Something

Do something for the community. Maybe that means staying home, wearing a mask (even if you don't personally feel like you should). Maybe you donate time or money to a charity. Maybe you buy coffee for someone or write a loving letter to a friend you haven't seen. 

We are full of opinions and heated emotions. Fear and doubt and anger are racing through our veins. It is time to put that emotion to a useful purpose. Let's take all the time we spend writing political Facebook posts and Instagram stories and start writing letters to our politicians, praying, buying from local businesses, or buying food for families who are struggling. 

We need each other. We need to support and actively love each other. If you care about a political issue, take productive action that does not result in destruction or death. Take action that lifts us up as a nation. 

3) Choose A Childlike Joy

Joy is not determined by circumstances. No one and nothing can make us feel anything that we don't choose to feel. It's okay to be angry and sad and devastated and exhausted and everything else that we have felt in the last year or so. Joy and sadness can coexist. You can be pissed off and still take a moment to recognize the comfort of a warm blanket or the beauty of frost. 

One of the hard things about wearing masks and being socially distant is the effect it has on the development of young children. In Psychology we learned about "critical periods". There are certain times in our development during which we need to experience certain stimuli in order to develop properly. The next generation may struggle with communication for many years. Despite this, I find comfort whenever I see young children. They feel the effect of the stress and trauma in the environment, but like my hazy 9/11 memories, they will only vaguely remember these events. When I encounter young children, I am stuck by how carefree and joyful they are. They don't fully understand what is going on, and they are still learning and growing and finding joy. 

We aren't going to be able to forget what has happened and is still happening, but join me in taking a few moments every day to find joy in the little things. The pandemic and unrest will still be there. On the flipside, no amount of stress and frustration will make it go away. So find joy. Covid-19 could kill you, but stress will kill you. Cortisol significantly shortens lifespans. So choose to look at the world through the eyes of a child, just for a few moments. 

1 comment:

  1. Wise words. There’s a lot of pent up anger in the world right now, and I’m afraid it will only get worse. I’m just not hearing anyone stand up and lead us out of it. Praying that person will emerge from all this chaos.

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