Yes. Social media's AI-driven algorithms designed to maximize user attention have escalated this human tendency towards the mindset of "us vs. them."
Responsible digital citizenship includes awareness that we are all living in online "filter bubbles." If we do not actively work to pop our filter bubbles, each of us remains siloed in online echo chambers confirming each of our unique set of biases.
Sadly, between this and the almost complete lack of emotional intelligence training in schools - so little instruction on how to engage in respectful debate - or to practice empathy - we are now at a point in history when sharing ideas that are contrary to other people’s political beliefs can quickly escalate into derision and hostility. The simple act of stating a political position risks mocking pushback by those with opposing beliefs and values. They may tag us with slights such as libtard, demoncrat, communist, pedophile, racist, fascist, Nazi, ignorant, batshit, delusional, and the like—terms intended to belittle and dehumanize us.
This is destroying families and communities.
"Deconstructing the walls that divide us" as you have shared here, reminds me of a core teaching in the Baha'i Faith is "Unity in diversity." It is the master key to establishing true peace - not one of uniformity or "empire."
As a teacher, at the age of 64, I take offense to "Sadly, between this and the almost complete lack of emotional intelligence training in schools - so little instruction on how to engage in respectful debate - or to practice empathy". We spend time every day teaching Social Emotional Learning. It's nearly the main theme of every school day and in between we worked to teach math, reading and social studies.
Like sex education, respect for others and how to be a good citizen, these things "should" be taught at home. Sadly, parents, those that are actually trying to raise their kids (and haven't passed that on to their folks) are usually working more hours than not outside the home to feed and house them.
The young people are getting their education via social media. What entertains, sells. What sells, influences, what baits the clicks, fills the heads.
My apologies for asserting that without full context. I certainly didn't mean to offend you or any other teachers and schools incorporating SEL.
As a woman in my late 40's, I received almost no emotional intelligence training in school. If anything, I received the opposite - I was trained to listen to authority, to believe in right/wrong, good/bad, deserving of reward/deserving of punishment. And the examples of my peers taught me blame, shame, judgment, criticism, and relating to my evaluations as if they were objective truths.
I had to learn emotional intelligence on my own, which I was motivated to do after a painful divorce in my early 20's.
I am grateful schools are evolving to incorporate more of this form of education. It would be great to have it taught at home too, and yet if parents don't have the skills, they are unlikely to be able to share them with their children.
Ya, I picked out one thing out of your well written comment to comment on. I actually have retired from teaching early because ... well several reasons, but the main one is I am not equipped to teach students of today that are so stressed out , tramatized, confused about truth, questioning authority (for right or wrong) and exhibiting so little respectful behaviors. Yesterday I posted a picture of my father's second grade classroom from 1948. The teacher had 31 students in her class. But back in those days...classroom management wasn't as much of an issue because you messed up at school, folks at home usually handled it. And no, I am not advocating for spanking to return to schools - but cell phones should not be there either.
I went to elementary school when dresses on girls was still required, but graduated when mini skits and hot pants were allowed. Ok, I digress. I guess what I'm saying is... I, did I really say offended earlier, ya, oops, snowflake I guess, anyway, I find it interesting when people talk about what kids are learning in school today when they aren't in schools today.
The silo is global too. After retiring six years ago, selling everything and leaving Jackson, Mississippi, my wife and I have lived in 16 countries usually for as long as our visa allows.. Our main practice (besides picking up trash everywhere we go) is to take long walks and greet everyone we meet with smiles, waves and greetings in their own language. We offer them sincere well wishing with loving eye contact, respect and recognition. We've done this hundreds of thousands of times in the past six years, but the world needs billions and billions more of these kind, heartfelt interactions.
Very beautiful Luke. I am doing the same wherever I go. Kindness is powerful and can unite people. Perhaps then we can stand together against Govco tyranny. Thank you 💚
As a member of the dems rule, republicans drool team, I am trying to re-train myself to not hate. It is difficult for me to see a former president's name on a flag on my street and not feel sick to my stomach. I'm trying to see the other side, but I so hard. However, I am no longer a fully steadfast in my approval of all things the democratic party does.
Let's just eat. But I'd like to eat healthy food, not harvested early using weed killers that kill, have it picked by people in America legally, and have it brought to me on safe roads, sold to me by people paid fairly. I want my food packaged in non-plastic, biodegradeable packaging. And I want excess food shared while still nourishing and then when not, composted.
A lot to think about here. Very thoughtful. In my community, whenever good people serve on the city council or even become mayor, it's not long before the "angry bird" people (who happen to be right wing) drive them away through the sheer toxicity of every encounter with them. Many of us can't even tolerate attending meetings now, and the best council members and now the mayor end up leaving, and the bully butts seem to be winning. I tried to hang in there, but three or four meetings was about all I could handle because it took so long to emotionally recover from all the closed-minded wrong-headedness of this particular group. The old mayor is probably going to run and take over again, when the one we have now chooses not to run again. We're seeing this on a national level, too, where congress people are resigning rather than enduring any more contact with these toxic people. There are toxic people among us and their voices have become very loud. It's hard to see them as having more than one dimension.
I certainly know it from running for president. But we must persevere or the consequences will be terrible. I also learned that it’s not only those on the right who are doing this.
I know you do. Sorry if I gave you a hard time from my end. I can't help see the destruction Trump supporters are doing. The left is working towards ending poverty, disease, supporting education so there is no both-siding this as far as platforms, but as far as people becoming intense and unpleasant in defense of their beliefs, I definitely went there.
This is an amazing TRUTH! It can apply to people, organizations, politics and the values of this country. The aim is NOT to be right … The aim is to work together at solving issues and problems as best we can … Thank You! … Very well written!
As the white buffalo is now born and the cycle of despair is beginning to dwindle, I'm comforted. I have compassion for those I disagree with and believe the radical pendulum might swing more to the middle where love, community, reason, and remembering we are all one will bring peace to all who dwell on mother earth. There is no planet B, we were born for this. I'm voting for you.
I remember Jack Kennedy saying it is not what your country can do for you, it is what you can do for your country. This was inspiring because there were options like the Peace Corps. NOW "options" must be the pivotal word in any all discussions. MANY MANY OF US KNOW that separation and division is the insane game and redundant to speak about. IMAGINATION, INTUITION, INSPIRATION must have legs and true leaders know this and they know the wasteland of no ideas, and no soul based leadership that harnesses what is the true transformers in this crumbling time. Talk about the roots of things and offer challenges to create a NEW STORY OF AMERICA that has legs on it. Better yet, know that true leadership comes from the "us" and not the few...I for one have jumped ship from all this predictable "common discourse" that is NOTHING NOTHING new. I even voted for you, M. Williamson in the primary in my state just because IT WAS A WAY FOR ME TO GET OUT OF THE GROOVE and say NO MORE. I will not vote for lesser of two evils scare mongering and I will not follow a polarity of party lines....I HAVE A NEW TRAJECTORY and how it starts is to stop doing as we have been programmed to do; always seeing "worse case scenarios" and putting up with anything and everything as if we do not have CHOICE, CHOICE IS POWER AND IT STARTS WITH EACH OF US PRACTICING IT IN OUR OWN LIVES AND THEN MOVING OUTWARD TO JOIN WITH OPTIMISTIC, SAAVY, JOYFUL OTHER...A new time, a new way AND SEEING THAT THERE IS NOT WIZARD BEHIND THE CURTAIN TO SAVE US....and there you have it!
What a world it would be if this article represented the people and its present nature of the world; their maturity and capacity to love beyond borders and treaties. Divisiveness is taught right from the get go. Families teach children, schools teach students, religion teaches congregations and governments teach citizens. God bless America must shift to God bless the world. A world leader’s thoughts must be more grand. The recognition that we’re each a world leader and that our thoughts and actions create division or unity, could and would shift antiquated ideas of humans and humanity.
We separate ourselves from other citizens any time we allow identity politics to pervert our perceptions of the other. Identifying almost solely with our gender or sexuality, religion, region, race, outlook, ethnicity, politics, socio-economics, age or anything else to the exclusion of our common humanity, we forget not only who they are but who we are. Such separatist thinking has twisted our perspective of one another. It implies that mine/ours is better, or mine/ours deserves more attention, or mine/ours is right and yours is wrong, thus diminishing our capacity to see or to learn from one another.
Thanks, Marianne, for this reminder that I and others should never separate ourselves from other citizens based on our gender or sexuality, religion, region, race, outlook, ethnicity, politics, socio-economics, age or anything else to the exclusion of our common humanity.
Thank you, Marianne! My "synagogue" is being surrounded by nature! We need to become aware of the destruction around us. It's quite easy to make a difference each day. Support causes like (The Sierra Club), stopping the pipelines in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and the Dakotas, (the Mountain Valley Pipeline). Be conscious of your own "footprint". I read that if we each planted 6 trees a year we can reverse global warming.
“The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.” Lady Bird Johnson
Jane Goodall said; "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make".
I dont know about 6 trees, but for the cost of 6 good trees here you can have 200 or more fast growing trees planted in the third world by Trees For The Future, look them up.
There are many wonderful organizations that plant trees. Thank you for sharing another site. Every year I would take my class locally and we would plant trees. Sending love and light to all!
Yes. Social media's AI-driven algorithms designed to maximize user attention have escalated this human tendency towards the mindset of "us vs. them."
Responsible digital citizenship includes awareness that we are all living in online "filter bubbles." If we do not actively work to pop our filter bubbles, each of us remains siloed in online echo chambers confirming each of our unique set of biases.
https://avidopenaccess.org/resource/pop-the-filter-bubble/
Sadly, between this and the almost complete lack of emotional intelligence training in schools - so little instruction on how to engage in respectful debate - or to practice empathy - we are now at a point in history when sharing ideas that are contrary to other people’s political beliefs can quickly escalate into derision and hostility. The simple act of stating a political position risks mocking pushback by those with opposing beliefs and values. They may tag us with slights such as libtard, demoncrat, communist, pedophile, racist, fascist, Nazi, ignorant, batshit, delusional, and the like—terms intended to belittle and dehumanize us.
This is destroying families and communities.
"Deconstructing the walls that divide us" as you have shared here, reminds me of a core teaching in the Baha'i Faith is "Unity in diversity." It is the master key to establishing true peace - not one of uniformity or "empire."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baháʼí_Faith_and_the_unity_of_humanity
"We are One - the flowers of one garden, the leaves of one tree. Let the walls come down. We'll stand here together. We are one family."
Thank you Marianne for your fierce love and compassion. Your courageous voice is desperately needed.
As a teacher, at the age of 64, I take offense to "Sadly, between this and the almost complete lack of emotional intelligence training in schools - so little instruction on how to engage in respectful debate - or to practice empathy". We spend time every day teaching Social Emotional Learning. It's nearly the main theme of every school day and in between we worked to teach math, reading and social studies.
Like sex education, respect for others and how to be a good citizen, these things "should" be taught at home. Sadly, parents, those that are actually trying to raise their kids (and haven't passed that on to their folks) are usually working more hours than not outside the home to feed and house them.
The young people are getting their education via social media. What entertains, sells. What sells, influences, what baits the clicks, fills the heads.
My apologies for asserting that without full context. I certainly didn't mean to offend you or any other teachers and schools incorporating SEL.
As a woman in my late 40's, I received almost no emotional intelligence training in school. If anything, I received the opposite - I was trained to listen to authority, to believe in right/wrong, good/bad, deserving of reward/deserving of punishment. And the examples of my peers taught me blame, shame, judgment, criticism, and relating to my evaluations as if they were objective truths.
I had to learn emotional intelligence on my own, which I was motivated to do after a painful divorce in my early 20's.
I am grateful schools are evolving to incorporate more of this form of education. It would be great to have it taught at home too, and yet if parents don't have the skills, they are unlikely to be able to share them with their children.
Thank you for weaving SEL into your work!
Ya, I picked out one thing out of your well written comment to comment on. I actually have retired from teaching early because ... well several reasons, but the main one is I am not equipped to teach students of today that are so stressed out , tramatized, confused about truth, questioning authority (for right or wrong) and exhibiting so little respectful behaviors. Yesterday I posted a picture of my father's second grade classroom from 1948. The teacher had 31 students in her class. But back in those days...classroom management wasn't as much of an issue because you messed up at school, folks at home usually handled it. And no, I am not advocating for spanking to return to schools - but cell phones should not be there either.
I went to elementary school when dresses on girls was still required, but graduated when mini skits and hot pants were allowed. Ok, I digress. I guess what I'm saying is... I, did I really say offended earlier, ya, oops, snowflake I guess, anyway, I find it interesting when people talk about what kids are learning in school today when they aren't in schools today.
Sad to say,I dont think I received much of that in school.Wish I had you for a teacher!
Sad to say,I dont think I received much of that in school.
The silo is global too. After retiring six years ago, selling everything and leaving Jackson, Mississippi, my wife and I have lived in 16 countries usually for as long as our visa allows.. Our main practice (besides picking up trash everywhere we go) is to take long walks and greet everyone we meet with smiles, waves and greetings in their own language. We offer them sincere well wishing with loving eye contact, respect and recognition. We've done this hundreds of thousands of times in the past six years, but the world needs billions and billions more of these kind, heartfelt interactions.
Very beautiful Luke. I am doing the same wherever I go. Kindness is powerful and can unite people. Perhaps then we can stand together against Govco tyranny. Thank you 💚
As a member of the dems rule, republicans drool team, I am trying to re-train myself to not hate. It is difficult for me to see a former president's name on a flag on my street and not feel sick to my stomach. I'm trying to see the other side, but I so hard. However, I am no longer a fully steadfast in my approval of all things the democratic party does.
Let's just eat. But I'd like to eat healthy food, not harvested early using weed killers that kill, have it picked by people in America legally, and have it brought to me on safe roads, sold to me by people paid fairly. I want my food packaged in non-plastic, biodegradeable packaging. And I want excess food shared while still nourishing and then when not, composted.
Absolutely
A lot to think about here. Very thoughtful. In my community, whenever good people serve on the city council or even become mayor, it's not long before the "angry bird" people (who happen to be right wing) drive them away through the sheer toxicity of every encounter with them. Many of us can't even tolerate attending meetings now, and the best council members and now the mayor end up leaving, and the bully butts seem to be winning. I tried to hang in there, but three or four meetings was about all I could handle because it took so long to emotionally recover from all the closed-minded wrong-headedness of this particular group. The old mayor is probably going to run and take over again, when the one we have now chooses not to run again. We're seeing this on a national level, too, where congress people are resigning rather than enduring any more contact with these toxic people. There are toxic people among us and their voices have become very loud. It's hard to see them as having more than one dimension.
I certainly know it from running for president. But we must persevere or the consequences will be terrible. I also learned that it’s not only those on the right who are doing this.
I am still voting for you, Marianne! 💗🙌🏽
Me too!
I know you do. Sorry if I gave you a hard time from my end. I can't help see the destruction Trump supporters are doing. The left is working towards ending poverty, disease, supporting education so there is no both-siding this as far as platforms, but as far as people becoming intense and unpleasant in defense of their beliefs, I definitely went there.
This is an amazing TRUTH! It can apply to people, organizations, politics and the values of this country. The aim is NOT to be right … The aim is to work together at solving issues and problems as best we can … Thank You! … Very well written!
As the white buffalo is now born and the cycle of despair is beginning to dwindle, I'm comforted. I have compassion for those I disagree with and believe the radical pendulum might swing more to the middle where love, community, reason, and remembering we are all one will bring peace to all who dwell on mother earth. There is no planet B, we were born for this. I'm voting for you.
I remember Jack Kennedy saying it is not what your country can do for you, it is what you can do for your country. This was inspiring because there were options like the Peace Corps. NOW "options" must be the pivotal word in any all discussions. MANY MANY OF US KNOW that separation and division is the insane game and redundant to speak about. IMAGINATION, INTUITION, INSPIRATION must have legs and true leaders know this and they know the wasteland of no ideas, and no soul based leadership that harnesses what is the true transformers in this crumbling time. Talk about the roots of things and offer challenges to create a NEW STORY OF AMERICA that has legs on it. Better yet, know that true leadership comes from the "us" and not the few...I for one have jumped ship from all this predictable "common discourse" that is NOTHING NOTHING new. I even voted for you, M. Williamson in the primary in my state just because IT WAS A WAY FOR ME TO GET OUT OF THE GROOVE and say NO MORE. I will not vote for lesser of two evils scare mongering and I will not follow a polarity of party lines....I HAVE A NEW TRAJECTORY and how it starts is to stop doing as we have been programmed to do; always seeing "worse case scenarios" and putting up with anything and everything as if we do not have CHOICE, CHOICE IS POWER AND IT STARTS WITH EACH OF US PRACTICING IT IN OUR OWN LIVES AND THEN MOVING OUTWARD TO JOIN WITH OPTIMISTIC, SAAVY, JOYFUL OTHER...A new time, a new way AND SEEING THAT THERE IS NOT WIZARD BEHIND THE CURTAIN TO SAVE US....and there you have it!
What a world it would be if this article represented the people and its present nature of the world; their maturity and capacity to love beyond borders and treaties. Divisiveness is taught right from the get go. Families teach children, schools teach students, religion teaches congregations and governments teach citizens. God bless America must shift to God bless the world. A world leader’s thoughts must be more grand. The recognition that we’re each a world leader and that our thoughts and actions create division or unity, could and would shift antiquated ideas of humans and humanity.
Thank you. I do wish it was feasible to have you run for president. I Love your messages and stance.
Thank you my sweet friend (Judy from Reno here). Good, no GREAT, to see you never quit!❤️
Unity must become a practice, yes
We separate ourselves from other citizens any time we allow identity politics to pervert our perceptions of the other. Identifying almost solely with our gender or sexuality, religion, region, race, outlook, ethnicity, politics, socio-economics, age or anything else to the exclusion of our common humanity, we forget not only who they are but who we are. Such separatist thinking has twisted our perspective of one another. It implies that mine/ours is better, or mine/ours deserves more attention, or mine/ours is right and yours is wrong, thus diminishing our capacity to see or to learn from one another.
Thanks, Marianne, for this reminder that I and others should never separate ourselves from other citizens based on our gender or sexuality, religion, region, race, outlook, ethnicity, politics, socio-economics, age or anything else to the exclusion of our common humanity.
God bless you now and forever.
So true, thank you!
Thank you, Marianne! My "synagogue" is being surrounded by nature! We need to become aware of the destruction around us. It's quite easy to make a difference each day. Support causes like (The Sierra Club), stopping the pipelines in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and the Dakotas, (the Mountain Valley Pipeline). Be conscious of your own "footprint". I read that if we each planted 6 trees a year we can reverse global warming.
“The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.” Lady Bird Johnson
Jane Goodall said; "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make".
Sending love and light to all!
I dont know about 6 trees, but for the cost of 6 good trees here you can have 200 or more fast growing trees planted in the third world by Trees For The Future, look them up.
There are many wonderful organizations that plant trees. Thank you for sharing another site. Every year I would take my class locally and we would plant trees. Sending love and light to all!
Such clarity.
Amen. Shout it from the rooftops!
Thanks for the push to keep going and giving it our all. Showing up for unity in the face of division.