It's hard to say

-



Hungarian-born American designer Ilonka Karasz (1896–1981) "Heavenly Tenants"
 
It's hard to say much about anything this week. I was dumbfounded when Trump won the election, and am freshly dumbstruck weekly, daily, moment by moment. I understand that there are things we have never understood about our fellow citizens. Theories abound and I've read many. They don't fix anything, though of course understanding is the ideal. Usually. There appears to be more evidence of the left trying to understand the right than I do the opposite. At this point I am simply looking for relief. Pink hats and Old Fashioneds provided respite this weekend. And for two days the weather has been gray and rainy, which normally makes me happy, but I find I am feeling as amorphous as the watery sky. The reproach of a pink hat, such a sly thing.

I have posted political content on facebook since Trump was elected. Previously, I was not so keen on that. Certainly there have been alarming issues that I felt the need to discuss with friends and family. I think for most of us, we know if we were simply in each others' presence we would not bring up or delve into great detail on certain topics in conversation. We aren't trying to make people uncomfortable. But social media is a platform for self expression first and foremost, and in this highly polarized moment in time, it seems impossible to not post on the topics occupying our minds. In my case, I admit, I have wanted to provoke my Trump supporting family. I've wanted them to call uncle. How they must hate me for it. I don't blame them. What's bothering me is sorting out how I feel about that. What do I feel and what do I see? 

I intuit an insidious underbelly to social media; one worse than the targeted advertisements. Is it making us hate each other? And if so, is there an intentional design behind that? Can we even stop using this addictive technology if we discover that, if even just for ourselves this is so? Does it have a life of its own? What are we humans doing when we don't take the time for human being? I will try to remember there is value in simply watching this life-movie when I am not coming from a position of aid, skill, or compassion. I know very well I'm far from wise, which is perfect because it means I have so much more to learn, so much more to examine. Given the time of course. Since it's all I want I hope I've earned the time.

The fact that 90% of the time I don't know what to say should truly be my guideline when it comes to uttering a word.
 
~Dorothy Dolores



Comments

  1. Mike NortonOctober 4, 2020 at 1:15 PM

    I remind myself that a primary aim behind the discord is to wear us down, to generally get as many people as possible to see all sources of information as equal, and foster the belief that "both sides" are equally corrupt. Each one of us who gives up on the mechanism of democracy makes it easier for those with the money and power to buy whatever they want, including a world that serves them best.
    We want to understand, but we have to be careful where we put that precious time and energy, because so much of what's out there is meant to be a trap.
    The single obstacle I've run into most in the 21st century has been being gobsmacked when I realized that so many disagreements rested on someone not understanding that we should care about what happens to people. That things don't only become "real" once they openly affect each of us. That a good and flourishing society should start with empathy.
    That realization alone has been a withering one. Most days I'm too tired to be terrified by the implications.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment