Dear Kid,
There was a recent cartoon (one of the most reliable sources of news these days) that said “My Values = Good; Your Values = Stupid”.
It made me smile, not because it was particularly funny but because it was pretty much spot on for the times.
It seems it is becoming harder and harder to have reasonable, adult conversations about difficult or unfamiliar topics.
“I don’t have to share your beliefs to learn more and appreciate your point of view” has been replaced with “stupid.” “I don’t know enough yet to make an informed decision” has been replaced with “you are morally reprehensible”. And “Facts? I spit upon your facts!” now correlates to gunshots.
I can’t begin to tell you how troubled I am by all this. I don’t know how we move away from screaming and begin talking. I don’t know how we move away from rhetoric and begin listening, really listening, to each other. I’m not smart enough to even pretend to have the answer. However, I do know that when reasonable adults hold open, reasonable conversations full of honestly trying to understand and appreciate each other, good things happen.
Here’s to a day of listening.
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