To Counter Divisive Political Rhetoric- Practice Random Acts of Kindness

 

No matter whether you vote blue, red, green or rainbow, it is my hope that those of us that make up the majority of the voting public, moderates that skew slightly liberal to slightly conservative and abhor the antics of our elected officials and the extreme hate spewed by podcasters, mainstream media, and  those that rant on social media and buy into conspiracy theories across the political spectrum will counter the divisiveness by showing love and compassion to our fellow sentient beings.

The ridiculous shutdown of the federal government that caused undo hardships to furloughed federal workers, those who were required to work without a paycheck, citizens who did not receive their SNAP benefits and couldn’t afford groceries, and the flying public that experienced flight cancellations and delays because of air traffic control understaffing should cast blame at every member of Congress who has kicked the budget challenges down the road for decades. This is not a one party debacle. How many people missed trips of a lifetime, weddings, funerals for loved ones, birthday celebrations for elderly family members or grandchildren because the petty partisanship is more important to politicians that want to keep their positions rather than the welfare of their constituents?

We the people can act individually to change the current climate by unilaterally deciding to do the next right thing.

If you see an elderly person at the grocery store with a nearly empty cart checking the prices on each can of dog food or cat food or parakeet food, talk to them and offer to help so they can keep a beloved pet.

If your community has a food drive, seeks donations to help with holiday dinners, collects items for disadvantaged children to succeed in school- give what you can. The Dollar Stores always have lots of options.

Try to avoid being lured into reading a negative social media post that confirms your biases. Better yet, use social media only to keep in touch with friends and family.

Do not become estranged from friends and loved ones over their political affiliations. Life is short. Instead, convey  that you disagree with their opinions but love them to the moon and back anyway.

Say good morning, good afternoon or good evening to strangers. A lot of people are lonely, struggling, dealing with health issues or financial issues or addiction. We never know what an influence a simple kindness can be.

Refuse to engage in groupthink. Avoid discussing politics with friends and acquaintances unless you know you agree. Find out what your kids are doing online. Refrain from succumbing to the labels that are being bandied about in attempts to demonize the ‘other’.

I read multiple online publications daily, fully aware that the actual truth is somewhere in the middle. There is no such thing as ‘my truth’ or ‘your truth’. There are facts. And, there is opinion. Too many conflate opinion with facts.

As I learned during my years of recovery in Al Anon- detach with love. This applies to every facet of life. Avoid being sucked into the vortex of hate, bigotry, judgments and argument for the sake of argument. As we know, I’ve struggled with engaging in argument for entertainment. It is time for me to let go.