Politically, it is a mess right now in our country. There is a substantial effort being expended to keep us apart, to keep us from uniting, and to keep us believing that we have all the answers and the other side is nothing but evil and trying their hardest to bring us down. I'm not on either side, officially, of the political spectrum. I used to affiliate officially with one side, but I found it to be inconsistent with how I actually believe inside. And truthfully, there isn't one party that espouses what I believe to be true on every single issue. And I find it extremely uncomfortable to align myself with any entity that makes decisions for me. I'm telling you this because I'm not writing this to make you believe that one side is right and the other side is wrong.
Truthfully, they're all wrong. Because none of them have all of the answers, and yet they try to convince us that they do. They don't. And they won't. Ever. Because they aren't designed to represent us and make decisions on our behalf. That's not the reason why there are political parties. They are designed specifically to keep us apart, because the true power in our society benefits when we expend all of our energy fighting amongst ourselves. It makes it easier for them to control us. And I won't be controlled. And it is my hope that you will take a stand against our true enemies, our true oppressors, and not buy into this nonsensical dichotomy. Do not let them control you.
Many of you might read this and believe that you are not being controlled. That's great. It's good to think of yourself as a free agent and that you have a mind and heart of your own that can choose freely from the available information that we have, and make choices that directly benefit yourself, your families, and communities. But if you could just sincerely answer a few questions completely honestly, you might be surprised that you might not be as free as you think you are.
Have you ever been in a frame of mind where you literally cannot understand why the “other side” believes or acts as they do?
Have you ever thought that the “other side” must be evil in order for them to exist as they are?
Have you ever stopped being friends with someone, stopped talking to someone, or thought badly about someone because of the way that they voted?
Do you derive a significant part of your identity from your political affiliation?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will benefit from a mindset shift. Because I have some news for you, the other side is more similar to you than it is different. You share 99% or more in common with them than your differences. What is truly important to you? If I could venture a guess, based on my own family and friends, it would be being kind, being helpful to others, supporting your family members and friends, doing valuable work, and trying everyday to make this world better than it was the day before. These are core tenets of the people that I associate with on a daily basis. This is what matters most to them, and it matters most to me as well. And you know who else it matters to? The other side. And if you cannot exercise your imagination to understand even slightly why someone else might believe in a different political party than you, you need to develop that imagination muscle until you can.
I don't understand everyone that I meet, or everyone that I read online. There are some things that seem extremely backward to me that other people believe and how they act. And even if I don't possess the mental gymnastics it takes to understand completely, or even a little, or even at all, where they are coming from, I never let that be a reason for me to hate them. As a fellow human, and a child of God, I know how valuable they are and how beyond beloved. I can't control the way that they are, but I can control the way that I am. And I won't let our true oppressors take away that decision to love my neighbor as myself.
Luckily, there are things that you can do to exercise this muscle of love and charity in your daily life. You have the power to choose who you read and listen to. And I urge you with all of the fervency and sincerity in my soul to silence any voice that tells you that there is no room for understanding the “other side.” You can easily recognize these voices by a number of ploys that they exercise. They are listed below:
They speak in absolutes with no room for nuance. (“They always/never…” or “Only we…”)
They try to get you to believe the other side is not even human (“They are sheep, demon worshipers, not really X, Y, or Z.”)
They try to get you to lump an entire group of people as just one thing. (“All x want to eliminate us…”)
They constantly point out problems but offer no lasting solutions. ("These protesters are trying to change our way of life!”)
They try to get you to align your identity with their agendas. (“A true [insert political party here] would not stand for this!”)
They are constantly highlighting the worst representatives of the other side as if everyone on that side believes or behaves in that manner. (“That side is full of weirdos who believe that they are unicorns and dragons and they are forcing us to treat them as such!”)
They don't want you to meaningfully engage with the other side at all. (“Don't even talk to them. They are all brainwashed!”)
I urge you with great anxiety even to pain that if you encounter anything like this on the internet, anyone using these tactics to get you to watch, listen to or read whatever it is that they are peddling, that you recognize it for what it truly is. It's enragement for engagement. You are playing into their game because attention is currency, and all you are doing is making other people rich by buying into these devious psyops designed to divide us.
I have good friends and family members on both sides, and even some who refuse to take any side. I don't understand everything, but I understand why anyone might think that they're right and the other side is wrong. The divisiveness is killing us, and we are just letting them. We are letting them control us. But you don't have to. Anytime you see something like this on your feed, stop watching, listening or reading, and don't share it. I know sometimes it feels good to think that your side has the answers and they are the only good ones. But you can't control the national puppet show that's going on before our eyes. All you can control is your own thoughts, words and actions.
I know that my sphere of influence is extremely limited compared to what is happening nationally and globally. I can only use my thoughts, words and actions to influence an almost microscopic amount of people in comparison to the world stage. But that's not nothing. And I'm going to use my power for good. I'm going to love my neighbors, and I'm not going to let any president, political person, podcaster or preacher tell me who my neighbor is not. If you're in my life, I don't care who you voted for. That's like the last thing on my mind when it comes to the people I love. I will love you to the greatest degree that I can to exemplify the only one that I want to be in control of me: Jesus Christ.
I have friends that believe in Jesus, and some who don't. Like your political affiliation, this will not change how I love and understand you as my friend and neighbor. I also want to make it clear that I take great pains to make sure that my own love of and belief in Jesus Christ is never used as a weapon to exclude anyone. That is not how he preached and lived his life, and it is not how I want to live my own. Jesus said to love your neighbor1, do unto others as you would have them do unto you2, and to love your enemy, to do good to them that hate you and despise you3. These are just some of the foundational principles of Jesus Christ's Ministry, and important ones for anyone to emulate, regardless of where you go or don't go to church.
You have power, but not if you subscribe to any voice that says we are better apart than we are together. Even Jesus in his intercessory prayer (found in John 174), urges his disciples and humanity to be as one. This is what we should be digesting: voices that tell us to work for understanding, that there is no certainty when it comes to government. If we look to the New Testament, even Jesus was indifferent to the political goings-on of the time5. What mattered to him wasn't governmental, but it was how we let ourselves be governed. Do we use our power to unite and love? Because if we do, we have very little use for an official government who wants to rule over and control us. That's why what Jesus taught was so subversive during his time, and even now. The people with the political power during that time didn't want people believing that they could be one and love each other, because if they did, what purpose would the government even have? 2,000 years later, and it's the same thing. Our true oppressors know if we live together in unity and harmony, they have very little reason to exist at all.
I am having a rough time right now because of certain violent acts that have been committed in recent times, and also the reactions of people who have said some truly terrible things about the victims of these tragedies. Even as I write this, it's breaking my heart. I truly don’t understand why anyone would believe and then say some of the things that they have. But in a way, I do. Because they have been existing in an echo chamber of hate, where it is perfectly normal to demonize large groups of people because of meaningless labels. And I know in my heart, that if these same people were in close physical contact with the people that they are saying such hateful things toward, that they would not believe or say these things.
It is important to ask ourselves where we are spending our time online. What kind of echo chamber have the algorithms set up for you? They want engagement and attention, and they know the best way to get that is to make you angry and/or self-righteous. If what you are consuming does not make you appreciate people as separate, complex and deserving of your love and understanding, I urge you to take action. Perhaps fast from social media all together. Realize that you have power, and that power is to love and unify where you are.
I would also like to sidebar somewhat from my main point, to speak to something that is tangentially related. This is mainly for people who have a religion that they truly believe in and fully subscribe to. I don't want this to seem like it's an attack on you, because it's not, but you and me and everyone, need to fully consider something. Being politically divided is not the only thing that is plaguing our world and nation. There is also a wily and corrupt religious divide which should be stopped. And this is the only thing that I want to say about it. Jesus said not to judge6, and he also said that we must forgive everyone7. And he also said that only he has the authority to judge8. I love my religion and try to live it with all of my heart. And I know many are the same. But I just want to caution you against believing or saying that anyone else is going to hell.
You don't have the authority, and it is unhelpful to your soul and progression in this life and the next, to pass this kind of judgment. This is the reason why some people don't want Christ, because Christians are not doing a good job of representing his Doctrine, which is to love everyone. I don't know why it's not obvious that telling other people they're going to hell is the opposite of loving, but that seems to be the case. Even Mark Twain said this, “If Christ were here now, there is one thing he would not be — a Christian.”9 Because even back then, Christians were weaponizing their faith instead of living it fully.
You don't know what happens to anyone else after they die, so don't even pretend to have the answers in this regard. There is a hymn that best says this, “Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly? In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see.”10 I give it as my personal opinion that there will be a lot of Christians shocked by who God finds worthy of a paradisiacal afterlife.
If you have been the victim of such judgmental words, you should know that those words have very little to do with you and almost everything to do with the person saying them. Religion and Christianity should never be weaponized to exclude. Anyone. Ever. Seeing that hypocrisy and mean spiritedness should appall anyone who witnesses it. If you think you are right, and the way that you are living your life or practicing your religion is the way to go, the best way to guide others is by being a good example. Like just stop telling people they are going to hell. Just don't do it! Stop!
We have the most power to work within our sphere of influence, which includes our family members, our close friends, and our neighbors. We can make the biggest difference by working locally within our own communities. We need to exercise the muscles of understanding, because despite our diversity, we are much more the same than we are different. I also know that what I'm asking everyone to do is not easy. It's easy to group people together and judge them, and it's much harder to consider everyone on a personal level, understanding that they are worthy of our kindness and understanding. I hope that this did not come across as preachy or sanctimonious. I don't have the answers for everything, and I'm not perfect at this. But I do know and believe in the true message of Jesus Christ which is applicable to any human on earth. Love your neighbor. Don't let anyone tell you who your neighbor is not. Do not let them control you!
1: Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27.
2: Luke 6:31, Matthew 7:12
3: Matthew 5:44–45, Luke 6:27–28
4: John 17:20–23
5: Matthew 22:21, John 18:36
6: Matthew 7:1–2
7: Matthew 6:14–15, Luke 6:37, Matthew 18:21–22
8: John 5:22
9: Mark Twain’s Notebook (published posthumously, 1935).
10: “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” (Hymn #220)
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