I don't think I'm along in having these feelings... but it seems to me like more and more people in the world are becoming highly reactive in their interactions with others.
Not only are we living in a world where extremism seems to be getting more intense with every day that passes... having a more "middle of the road" opinion about pretty much anything almost feels like an act of bravery!
As I approach my 7th anniversary here on Steemit, I am reminding myself that the whole reason I was even open to finding a new social platform back then was that the extremism on Facebook — surrounding the 2016 US Presidential Elections — was driving me up the wall.
And now we are here... at the threshold of another US Presidential election, complete with an ever-greater dose of mudslinging and name calling.
To be perfectly honest, I have never been a particularly reactive person, and I have definitely never felt inclined to get in a heated argument with anyone just because they thought differently from me!
I started learning how to "dissociate" (for lack of a better term) from identifying strongly with my opinions and beliefs back in the late 1980s when I was also spending a lot of time attending self-development and spiritual retreats and workshops.
Now, when I say dissociate, I don't mean not having opinions... just that it's not a do-or-die whether anyone else agrees with me.
The whole thing makes me ponder whether the world as a whole has just become less tolerant of differences between people. Reminds me of something my dad once said, about getting along with people you don't necessarily like: "Remember, you're not having them over for Christmas dinner!"
I got a lot of "practice" during the couple of decades I lived in Texas where I encountered a lot of viewpoints that were radically different from my own, especially concerning such things as human rights and the value of life. I got very good at saying "I can definitely UNDERSTAND your perspective," without actually saying that I agreed with it.
And so, we move towards another election... complete with all the "closely held" opinions that go with that. For the most part, I'm just going to stay out of the discussions!
One of the things I have gotten to truly understand about myself is that I am far more oriented towards communication and cooperation than I am towards competition and conflict."
Sadly, that seems to be getting harder and harder to find, in this crazy world of ours!
Thanks for coming to visit, and have a great weekend!
How about you? Does the world seem like it has more extreme opinions than it used to? Do you get into political arguments with people? Does it ever "end badly?" Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 2024.01.20 01:15 PST
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