Our society is being fragmented. Particularly there are debates close to election time. However, where society has its ugly side on display when it has a President like Trump, things can get pear shaped quite quickly.
In this fascinating article https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/11-10-2020/i-love-my-family-my-family-love-trump/ Pallas Hupe Cotter, now living in New Zealand, writes about the family tension which she has experienced since she posted a Facebook comment on Trump. She ended with these conclusions:
Still, in the midst of all of my questions one argument seems always to rise to the surface. As the authors of a study on political beliefs put it, “Few things are as fundamental to human progress as our ability to arrive at a shared understanding of the world…human knowledge and human cooperation depend upon such feats of cognitive and emotional flexibility.”
Flexibility. There’s a powerful word. Flexibility means opening our minds, elevating our discourse, debating respectfully, actively trying to understand and sometimes taking a step back.
And how about cooperation? There’s power in that word too. It means working to preserve even the tiniest shred of common ground.
I’ve always recognised the role of agitators on the edges of society: their more extreme actions nudge the needle in the centre toward change. I deeply respect those who choose to stand firm on their ideals and values at great personal cost. But they are part of a larger equation.
Progress also requires cultivating the flexibility to forge a peaceful way forward, together. And maintaining the peace to preserve the love within my family is where I feel compelled to start.
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