Something to Talk About!

 “It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all.” - Democritus, Greek Philosopher 

I am not sure when I stopped posting comments and reactions to events taking place in the world around us, but I know I have been quiet with regards to the pandemic over the last two years. To be quite honest there is a lot of social commentary floating around in cyberspace. My little drop of an opinion would be a miniscule ripple in the bucket of contrasting views and opinions that fill social media sources like Facebook and Twitter.

 

These days I cringe whenever I see posts that are made to “ruffle the feathers,” of those of a different mindset or political persuasion. In the past I would eagerly jump into a Facebook fight to defend my viewpoint on “hot button” issues. As was often the case, my jump to defend caused offense to the person who made the original post to begin with. Sometimes I cared about their feelings, and I would quickly apologize and delete my comment but not always. If they were hurt, I reasoned they were only hurt by the “truth” and not by my pompous actions.

 

My dive into the bloodbath of social commentary began to wane following a New Brunswick provincial election in September 2014. I remember reading a post-election article on the CBC website. I made my way to the “Comment” section, and I was shocked by the amount of hatred and bile spewed by New Brunswickers about other New Brunswickers. My home province was clearly divided between the English and French speaking portions; a result reflected in the election results as well.  

Over the next few weeks, I began seeing increased cruelty and hurtful discourse being shared and, in many cases, nurtured by talking points and political opinions. From my perspective, our civil discourse was being eroded by the rising tide of sensationalism, misinformation, and an ever-growing sense of the “Us vs. Them" mentality. It was no longer about relying on our similarities and celebrating our differences. The mood was becoming more of a witch hunt where, as a society, we have become willing to roast someone for their differences because they did not fit in a certain mold...and this was all before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. If anything, the pandemic has not only caused physical and emotional pain and suffering. It is destroying some of the last few ounces of civility we have left. 

Somewhere along the way, we have lost the ability to respectively disagree with each other. We have lost the ability, or desire, to sit down and talk through things. It is much easier to post a comment, or share a meme, than it is to gather around a table and talk. 

I know that some are going to say, “With all the lockdowns we have had we cannot see people long enough to talk.!” I agree! Rules and regulations put in place have made it hard for people to get together but the lack of ACTUAL conversation and communication between different parties has been around for some time now. 

Just last week, I had a video call with a college friend living in Maine. It was nothing more than an hour of open and honest discussion. No memes. No talking points. No rhetoric. It was two people simply talking! 

Do I have opinions on government policies? Absolutely I do! Do I have an opinion on vaccines, masks, the endless lockdowns and trucker rallies in our nation’s capital? Yep! Do I want to share those ideas and opinions? They cause me a great deal of stress and anxiety but of course I do! Do you know how many comments I have typed out over the last couple of years only to delete them before hitting the “Enter” button? It is more than I care to share. I do not because I am trying to see more value in the person commenting than in their comments...so I wrote a blog instead. 

In no manner am I trying to say you cannot have a opinion; nor am I trying to say you should refrain from sharing. All I am asking is we consider someone else before we become too self-centered. Maybe we should listen more and post less? Or consider being an example instead of being right...or left (insert better political joke here)!

 

I know we are not always going to agree, and I am okay with that. All I am looking for is a platform where the free expression of thoughts and opinions can be discussed without fear of reprisal or rejection. This platform would have comfortable chairs, hot coffee (or a cold pop) and a conversation where we would talk TO each other. I am tired of being talked at and talked over. I want to be listened to rather than heard!