How to find peace and sanity in a polarized world
Polarization has been integral to any age and society. People have natural tendencies to stick to one line of thought and attaching with it obsessively. This is true for any day and age. However in our recent times the opposite sides have probably grown up to be of equal power and percentage, hence tearing us all apart immensely on a daily basis than ever before. We are always in conflict with ourselves and society because of our strong ideas we find the need to protect regularly.
It is not just political sides, but perspectives on art and it’s trends, social interactions and human relationships, education, religion, spirituality, sexuality, technology, every branch seems to be completely polarized where people are passionately holding on to their sides and poles.
This makes us feel like we are in turmoil all the time. We can’t relate and identify with the opposite sides, we can’t see the humanness in the other side, and we are constantly fighting to secure our respective tents. Damaging impact of such separation is evident by loss of empathy and kindness we have seen in recent times. In addition, we have lost our peace and sleep.
Some things can be changed to be healthy again as a society while retaining our need to freely express our concerns and suggestions:
- Seeing the humanness in every side:
We lose temper, get agitated, become detached once we stop seeing that the other side on the argument table is as human as us. Their fears, vulnerability, existential dilemmas are the same as us. In visualizing their daily challenges, we can closely see ours. This can immediately soften us to have reasonable discussions. We might not find solutions right away, but we have a shot to at least brainstorm like decent beings.
Some issues cannot be compromised one can say but at least by seeing through the humanity in each other, we are not hurting each other to prove each other’s points; at least we are keeping the doors open for some sort of intelligent middle grounds eventually. At least we are not shutting down the conversations and our chances of a peaceful future.
2. Remembering that division is always painful and collectiveness is strength:
We are humans. We enjoy community and togetherness. Brutal splits like the ones we have seen recently have continued to torture us. It has not felt great losing friends over a certain idea they chose for them, one opposing that of ours.
In these challenging times it is important to regularly remind ourselves what the cost of division is: it is the pain to always feel conflicted and at unease, lose collective resources and brains, lose diversity, lose neighbors and friends. And it is important to regularly remind ourselves the gifts of giving unity a chance: individual and world peace, healthy functioning, healthy power, combined tools, technology and resources, when working together as Team Human.
Ideal world begins from our individual thought and action. Our small decision in an argument and conflict goes a long way.
3. Realizing that we need each other for a very unpredictable future:
With the exponential growth of technologies and artificial intelligence, access to destructive technologies, also our great adventures to explore universe, it has become harder and harder to predict what lies ahead. It seems the only prudent thing to do, is to combine forces now, rather than bickering in social media and ranting against each other. We can easily face an immediate calamity when we would need each other for an intelligent solution and more importantly- surviving. This is the time to be together in senses rather than be divided in ignorance.
4. Keeping the big picture in focus:
It is easy to get swept away in the little things that ego empowers and lose sight of the ultimate big picture. The ultimate big picture in the subject matter is the same for us all: peace and good mental and physical health, happiness, prosperity, contentment, love, no matter what side we are on. It is important to remember that after all the song and the dance, the simple goals remain the same for any side. Rather than wasting time and energy in our petty differences, we can strive to keep this big picture in focus and achieve our goals.
