It is up to us
As Hans Rosling used to say: “People constantly and intuitively refer to their worldview when thinking, guessing, and learning about the world. So if your worldview is wrong, then you will systematically make wrong guesses”.¹ We tend to overdramatize, it’s in our nature. We don’t know to a full extent how things really are, and due to the content shock, the eco chambers, and the constant distractions on the web² –as Michael Simmons explains– one might argue that it’s impossible to be properly informed about anything.
How many times have we heard: “Everything was so much better back then”? We tend to think that all things are going sideways; that polarization and hatred are getting the worst of us; that we have no control over anything of what’s happening.
We live in an intolerant society
To some degree, it would be foolish to deny this reality. Division exists… these elections clearly demonstrated it. Even though Joe Biden won, the difference between votes was around 5 million –taking into account that around 160 million people voted–. There is an abysmal rupture between both ideologies; no relationship, no tolerance, no empathy. As prejudices increase, a terrible image of those who disagree with us is created in our minds, shrinking the room for dialogue and compromise.
We forget that the other ones are people just like us; with strengths, weaknesses, dreams, and fears. This rupture has dehumanized all of us, it has impeded us from growing together, from learning together, from living together.³
The core of democracy
The United States of America is “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”.⁴ Have we forgotten this? Unity starts with us, with our proactivity and our ability to compromise. If we aren’t able to bridge the gap between our brothers and sisters who don’t agree with us, then no one will. As Don Johnson says in one of his articles: “It only takes one conscious person to stop an argument.”⁵
Disagreement is a key element of any democracy. We should be thankful for having people that think differently, that question us. Without it, we wouldn’t really have a democracy. Or would you rather live with a 1984 dystopian government (AKA: Big Brother)?
Often people say that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone… I believe we don’t have to get to that point. But if we learn how to discern from the truth or the false, if we accept that people have different worldviews, if we get out of our little bubbles, things will improve considerably.
Hope is not useless
I know these arguments might come across as idealistic, but the greatest changes in civilization came from people who hoped for the best in each one of us: the Founding Fathers⁶, Saint Augustine, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Nelson Mandela. This is not about who is right or not, it is about understanding each other and being empathetic. It is about opening arms and welcoming differences, because we learn and grow through them.
You’ve probably heard many times that politics are just a reflection of society. I believe this, politicians are no different to us. They are normal people. But, if we want them to start compromising, we got to start bridging the gap between both sides. It is only then that democracy will really feel alive. It is up to us.
Bibliography
¹ Rosling, H. (2018) Factfulness. Flatiron Books
² Simmons, M. (2018) While Everyone Is Distracted By Social Media, Successful People Double Down On An Underrated Skill. Medium. https://medium.com/accelerated-intelligence/while-everyone-is-distracted-by-social-media-successful-people-double-down-on-a-totally-underrated-5a86701e9a27
³ Carreño, E., & Bringué, X. (2020) Team Management. University of Navarra
⁴ USC Sec. 4. 2010. Print
⁵ Johnson, D. (2020) How ‘Verbal Aikido’ Can Help You Avoid Stupid Arguments. Medium. https://humanparts.medium.com/why-its-easy-to-get-into-stupid-arguments-8c6f2310685b
⁶ Founding Fathers (in alphabetical order): John Adams, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Marshall, George Mason, and George Washington.
