Have you ever played the game where someone gives you a word and you say the first word(s) that come into your mind? For example: I say “Sky” you say “Blue.” You say “Sky” I say “Cloud.” Same word, but two different thoughts. No one thought is more right than the other. I don’t say my word is better than yours, nor do you think your word is better than mine. We can think differently, but still get along.
I’m afraid this simple game illustrates a huge problem we’re facing today. If you and I disagree in today’s society, one of us must be wrong. That’s just not true. But that is what is happening. When two ideas or thoughts are divergent that just means we are both independent thinkers. One viewpoint or another should not shout down the other viewpoint until the loudest voice wins. But that is what is happening.
- Handling the pandemic was one example of this discord and disconnect. We didn’t need to shut down every state or every city in every state, but we did. Montana was treated just like New York. There were 20 cases in Montana and no deaths. But the state is suffering economically because of this myopic treatment. We could have used more common sense and a focused strategy, but instead the loudest voices won out and everything, everywhere shutdown.
- Then when it was time to open back up, if you were in favor of opening stores, shops and restaurants than you must be someone who wanted people to die. If you wanted to keep things shut down than you wanted to cripple America long-term and destroy small businesses. There was no middle ground. In reality, middle ground and common sense should have prevailed. Unfortunately, it did not.
One more example of how this disconnect is crippling America. The mainstream media should be able to present both sides of a story, but they don’t any more.
Case in point: When Senator Tom Cotton was asked to pen an op-ed in the New York Times he was presenting a viewpoint not usually appearing in the NYT. A day didn’t pass before the NYT was retracting the story due to internal upheaval. Senator Cotton is now asking the NYT to provide data showing him what wasn’t true in his op-ed. Everything he said was true. But that doesn’t seem to matter to the media. The loudest voice won out again.
Here are a few of my own divergent thoughts:
- You don’t have to agree with everything the President says or does and still be a supporter of conservative policies.
- I don’t think face masks are the safest way to protect yourself from Covid-19. However, if a business requests I wear one to enter, than I will gladly do so. I want to support their desire to make a living.
- There are no levels of integrity; you either have it or you don’t. Either stealing a grocery store item or embezzling thousands of dollars indicate you have an integrity problem.
- Speaking of integrity, it’s okay to admit when you make a mistake. People have such a difficult time admitting when they make a mistake. They have no idea what a freeing feeling it is. Politicians could really benefit from learning this lesson. Sadly, instead they all seem to subscribe to the same theory: “Just keep fabricating and eventually people will believe it’s the truth.”
- I am sickened by the manner in which George Floyd died. I am equally sickened by the way David Dorn died. Both deaths were taped. One man spent a percentage of his life in prison. The other man spent a majority of his life protecting citizens as a law enforcement professional. One man is being lauded as a martyr/hero. The other man is a footnote/after thought. We should grieve and mourn equally for both men. But the media narrative doesn’t allow that to happen in America.
- I’ve always admired those who lead by example. Those who walk their talk with action. People who could/can listen to both sides. It seems to me this is a rare commodity in today’s world. When gentlemen like Buck and Frank and David Dorn pass away, I long to find people to take their place.
- I’m so tired of hollow rhetoric, regurgitated catch-phrases and “gotcha” questions. None of these things lead to common sense dialogue and middle ground conversations. All they do is attempt to tear down individuals and forge a greater and greater chasm in society.
We owe it to one another to take action, listen with an open mind, use common sense, tell the truth, search for what we agree about on an issue or problem and find the common ground. Only then will we be able to make progress for everyone.
Until next time…