I usually use the banner below to end my posts... Today I would like to begin with it too. I believe that this simple sentiment although it may seem impossibly simple, maybe even a little trite is an extremely powerful notion...
It truly is great to belong, isn't it?
I think we would all concur with that assessment. You know what I mean, right?
Maybe it is community, maybe it's family or a myriad of other identities that 'seemingly' define at least in part, who you are and who is your tribe.
Taken in the context of what we do here, we are all Hivers and the vast, vast majority feel passionate about being part of something bigger than ourselves, something we believe in. That may be due to the decentralised nature of our collective space, maybe it is because we have an amazing opportunity to connect with people who resonate with us, reinforce a view that we hold or simply share a niche passion and to be in that kind of company is special to us.
For many I think it is far more simple and easy to quantify than that, we have found a place to inhabit where we are able to share things that matter to us, happen to us, a space that allows us to vent our fears, sorrows, angers, frustration and insecurities but also our triumphs, mini-victories, joys, loves and passions.
We know to a large degree that we will not be cancelled, banned, censored or de-platformed because the views we hold may not be acceptable or controversial to the sanitised mainstream section of society and media.
HOWEVER...
Although belonging can be an amazing, empowering feeling, when taken to a fanatical extreme it can have some immensely dangerous ramifications. I think many of these drawbacks are being played out in the world at large, right now and I believe we need to have a conversation where no view is taboo.
You cannot have failed to notice the many battles being played out in the world at the moment. battles that see two ideologically opposed camps absolutely polarised in their view and totally unwilling to see any benefit in negotiating or communicating with the other.
Let me tell you who I am. I am Steven, as you likely already know. I never describe myself and would never introduce myself to you by using my colour, political persuasion, sexual orientation or religion.
I am a complex individual. There are things I like, things I do not and things I am undecided upon as I simply do not have enough information to form an opinion yet. I believe in love, I believe in humans even when the evidence suggests that maybe I am wrong, what's the benefit in holding the opposing view to that?
Society is becoming more and more nihilistic in recent years, people on the whole find less meaning in the human experience. This is not my opinion it comes from studying data from clinical psychologists and communities interested in researching crowd identity and the rise of identity politics and woke culture.
People on the whole have a far more pessimistic view of where we are heading as a species and form rigid 100% unshakable views which they will defend almost to the death even when their position is met with insurmountable evidence.
I would like to make a suggestion. I think it would be a fabulous idea for people on opposite sides of the trenches to talk to each-other from a place of openness and optimism. I would like to see a world where people engaged with an open heart instead of closed minds. I would love to inhabit a space where we all acknowledge that everyone has something to add to the melting pot of ideas, narrative and the very society we live in.
We see several situations in the world right now in which people 'identify' as one thing or another, often creating a false narrative that when boiled down to it's core essence results in men vs women, black vs white, gay vs straight, binary vs non binary, republican vs democrat, labour vs conservative, capitalist vs socialist, rich vs poor and on and on and on it goes.
The problem is that this is no longer genuine debate or if it is, it is by far, the exception rather than the rule.
Here is what it looks like from my perspective. Two camps engage each-other, each of them digs in their heels, creates a narrative of 'I'm right and your wrong' and resolves before the conversation (or barrage of insults) even begins to not concede a single vitriol filled inch...
Where is that going to get us?
Generally the combatants do not even listen to the points made by their opposition and as such have zero opportunity to learn anything new about the other. What if they miss that one piece of the jigsaw that helps their perspective, enables them to view the situation through the lens of their 'so called' enemy?
What if such a debate revealed that the person who appears to be filled with prejudice and hate is actually responding from a place of fear? D'you think that might create an ah-ha moment? You think that could create a place of deeper understanding and give the opportunity for a different kind of conversation designed at creating understanding and allaying fears?
So often people speak about a thing or a group and it quickly becomes apparent they have misconstrued everything about it, if we all truly listened AND heard each-other that could give rise to an understanding that never has the chance to be borne from the previous method of discussion, right?
I guess what I am really trying to say is we should all endeavour to try not to identify as any one thing. Try and embrace the multi-faceted being that is YOU. When you identify as a group or minority you join a segregated niche in society, this has the very real potential to create hard division at a time when we should be pursuing togetherness and connection.
I think a perfect metaphor for this is the current situation in most of the world where people are wearing masks, these masks although considered prudent and safe by many, like it or not, DO create an extra layer of division an extra barrier to connection between us and everyone else.
Could you conceive of a Republican having some Democratic beliefs? I would hope beyond a shadow of a doubt that you answered that question with a resounding and unequivocal instant YES. If not you fail to acknowledge that we are all nuanced in our thoughts and beliefs. None of us are completely right and conversely none of us are ever completely wrong either. To refute this exacerbates the problem enormously and shows a total lack of understanding for the hotch potch of different thoughts, ideas and beliefs that make up every single one of us.
There is one more critically important point that MUST be raised in all this. If we are engaged in a ceaseless battle, ever infighting with each other and the various groups that we disagree with then we risk seeing real threats toward societal cohesion. We miss the bad actors, throwing incendiary grenades in to the fray and cackling maniacally as we take the bait and ramp up the intensity of the wars being waged with each-other.
When we are in this situation we may neglect to look up at where real division, inequity and struggle is coming from. We should be ever aware of governmental and corporate entities and mainstream media propagating unhelpful, divisive beliefs because it serves their agenda of control and stops us all coming together as a strong cohesive unit and demanding a fairer world, less tax burden on the working class and a genuine effort between global government's to eradicate poverty and promote opportunity for all.
Today I want you to really read the slogan that I always use to sign off on my posts, It is a sentiment I wholeheartedly believe in and I most certainly hope you do too...
Thank YOU for taking the time to read my post and if you're one of those amazing people who like to hit the comments section... Then I doubly thank YOU!
Either way I want you to know that you are appreciated!
Keep taking the time to connect with each-other both here and in the so-called real world and try and look after each-other, because as you already know...
Hi @stevenwood,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
In and from my point of view:
This is the entire nature of debate. Debate leads to the ceaseless battle, in fighting occurs on both sided of the debate groups,to where there is an ever narrowing of that which is valid in the eyes of the debaters to debate. Debate almost always ends in people disagreeing even to the point of I guess we just need to agree to disagree. Debates are the cause of the loss of "societal cohesion'. People just have a hard time accepting others as people when they stand on the opposite end of the debate.
I have someone I respect, (a younger person), he is a vegetarian or vegan, I am not. There is nothing I can say or do or show that he can not say or do or show to point out to the other that they are wrong. That is fine, we still get along. We still respect each other, and neither one of us is going to change our diets.
We did not agree to disagree, we did agree that it was a choice that we were allowed to make and not a choice that should be made for us. The end result of debates is if one side can not tell the other side to do it their way then the debate no matter how trivial will continue, the battle will be fought, the victims will be those outside the debaters, and society will in the end fall to one side or the other.
Together we are better, so long as no one tells someone how to be.
Just my thought on debate, I don't think debates solve a damned thing. Never have, never will. At least none that I have seen, and once a subject becomes a debatable matter then society is doomed.
I must confess I enjoy debate. Yes this may sound like hypocrisy, but I don't think so. I find a genuine exchange of ideas invigorating. I try and always engage in a spirit of being open to other points of view and from the viewpoint of 'maybe I can learn something new here.'
I am a vegetarian actually lol and believe wholeheartedly in my decision based on science, research, facts and personal choice. I do not feel like it is my job to create converts to my ideology. In a free and open society we must all have the freedom to form opinions and beliefs without fear of persecution, mockery and intimidation.
I certainly don't believe we should ever have media, Government and corporate/state institutions weighing in on and our beliefs and preaching to us. I think it is OK though for people to test their ideas out in a little spirited discussion, maybe this is the equivalent of when we see stags locking horns and tussling.
Thanks for sharing your input my friend, always great to see you, have a great week :)
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
You put so much effort to write a wonderful post about our Hive.
Thank you 🙏
My plan is to level up my posts massively in the coming months and also to level up my Hive activity and promotion of Hive too. I would have to go a long, long way to even come close to the herculean effort you put in to promoting our community on Twitter Nathan. You are appreciated man!
Thanks for stopping by I'm very grateful my friend. Really looking forward to meeting you next month in Halifax in support of the Brits coming together to try and help the community collectively in any way we can :)
Reading this ... you are right on the dot. Politics has certainly, in particular, brought out the worst in us ... you would think that after three thousand years of our existence, we would be more accepting of others. Sometimes, I swear, I wish we lived back in ancient times. Society is much harder then, but at the same time, many cultures were better then than any of our modern choices.
I am starting to love this whole Twitter thing, learning slowly, growing steadily :)
#posh