We Need to Talk.
Let’s talk. It’s about time, isn’t it? When’s the last time you talked to someone about something that wasn’t your day to day gossip or small talk? Today’s world is a highly polarized one. There has never been a time where people have been more divided than now in modern history, at least that’s what I think. There may be an argument to be had that it may have been because people were not free to express themselves before, but that’s for another time. For today, let’s talk about communication.
Today’s age is a digital one where everyone is connected all the time through the miracle of man that is the internet. It has provided voice to the voiceless. People, who would be helpless at any other time in human history, now have a say. That is fantastic. This is only possible because of one feature: the veil of anonymity. You can share whatever you want, and put out anything you want without anyone knowing who you truly are.
The internet, however, is not perfect. There are gigantic loopholes through which we, the users, can be manipulated. People are only fed information that aligns with their thoughts and opinions. Let’s take an example of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, shall we? This is a hot topic right now, as it should be. So, what basically happens is people who are looking at it from Israel’s perspective are only fed information that confirms their beliefs. The same goes for the Palestinian sympathizers. While all of this is happening, the invasion in Ukraine is still ongoing and we haven’t even started on the conflicts in several other nations like Sudan. Our feed is filled with thoughts and opinions that match with ours and even if somehow, a post containing an opposing opinion sneaks in, we ignore it. It is framed as a us vs them narrative. The republicans vs democrats, capitalists vs socialists, natives vs the immigrants, us vs the establishment are present in one way or another.
If we look at the situation objectively, we can all see that this is not going to end well. If we are ignorant to voices of the other side, if we do not even TRY to understand others just because they basically do not think like us, the already polarized world will further be divided. The entire basis of democracy is public discourse. There will be times, several of them, where you may be convinced that you are in the right and the other person is in the wrong, but even then, you need to listen. Talk it out. It is really uncomfortable, and this is coming from a person who does not leave any opportunity to talk about opinions and ideas. It may be especially difficult for those who have not been raised in an environment where they could discuss important issues, where talking about policies and politics was frowned upon. But, it is always worth it. Because even if people call it a dirty game, at the end of the day, politics is all about creating policies, and without the discussion of any issues from various perspectives from people of various ideologies, it is nearly impossible to come to an outcome that benefits us, the common people.
As people, our common goals are peace and prosperity; of our community, nation, and world. That is not possible when the world is fragmented like it is today. It is going to take a long time for the world to heal, even if we are able to. And the first step is always communication. Let’s have a discussion. Let’s listen to others and try to understand where they are coming from. Let’s share our thoughts. Let’s have a talk, shall we?