Honestly, I’m at a loss this week. I’ve written up several different versions of this post trying to accurately put into words what I’m thinking and feeling, but it’s all ended up going down a rabbit hole of anger and frustration, so I’m not going to get into all of that here.
One thing I do want to touch on this week though, is this graphic I’ve shared below. I saw it on Instagram and took a screenshot – I don’t remember which account it was from, so sorry for stealing it. 🙂 But I felt it was worth sharing.
Among the many, many horrible things I’ve seen said and shared on social media this week, one common theme that kept popping up was, “why are you posting about this, but not this? You must hate this because you didn’t post anything!”
Since when it is measured how much we care about something by how quickly we run to Facebook and give our opinion? Do you honestly expect me to post about any event that happens in the world and give my two cents on it? Just to prove I’m not a careless person? Of course people don’t want to see children die. Of course people think political violence is wrong. Let’s not assume someone’s opinion on something because they didn’t make an announcement on it.
Just like this graphic suggests, there are so many things that go on outside the realms of social media that you don’t know about. How do you know someone isn’t doing everything in their power to fight for the same issue you claim they don’t care about? Unless someone outright tells you they don’t care about something, let’s stop making assumptions.
Because you know what happens when you assume things, right? Yeah, I know you do.
Overall, I just want to encourage people to be more kind to one another. Stop assuming what people believe in because of the political party they affiliate with. Stop pointing fingers at the other side – because we ALL know neither side is flawless. Stop spreading hate with more hate.
If it takes stepping away from social media for a few days, then do it. Have real, face-to-face, open-minded conversations with people. Maybe learn a thing or two, and start forming opinions based on facts, not feelings. We all have more in common with each other than you think.
And tell people you love them – hug your kids, kiss your spouse, call your parents. We truly never know what day is going to be our last.
Until next time,
Megan Nelson