Growing Upward

When we look around at the state of humanity, it can sometimes be troubling, depressive. One may think to themselves 'How do I survive in such a world as this?' because it really is (in a lot of ways) a dog eat dog world.

We constantly walk on eggshells with people we encounter, friends, and sometimes, even our family. We live in a world today where we're implored to watch what we say, the way we joke, the things we watch, the way we vote. We are begged to caution, filter, and censor everything we do or else we will suffer rejection from friends, family, even (in some cases) lose our jobs. We may even fall victims to violence from some the party with the different view.

One, truly, is left to ask themselves 'What is a human being to do?"

Let me propose this to you. Let's suppose that you encounter someone in the next few months that voted in a different way than you in this election: why don't you ask them why they voted that way, then ask the question of why they thought that person fit the job. We could then go on to try and settle the disputes we have towards that candidate by stating our side of the argument and then asking them for a rebuttal, to which we could offer our own rebuttal to what they rebuttal and so on. But I would also challenge each person (before they state their argument and case) to explain the way we understand the other person's argument and 1st making sure that we understand it to the satisfaction of that other person before we say anything.

It's very naive and closeminded to assume that the person with a different point of view has total disregard for you or other human life or sensitive issues and, thereby, you just go around slandering those people because they think differently than you. For one: it's not a very strong argument and anyone that wants to pick it apart could do it very easily by simply asking 'How do you know that person feels that way?' to which you respond 'Well, because he voted for candidate X, so, therefore, he doesn't care about poor people, or minorities, etc."

To which the person you're trying to sell your argument to responds

'Oh. How do you know that based off of who they voted for? Did they tell you bluntly that they didn't care about those groups because and sensitive topics you explained or did you ask them how they felt about those very real problems?'

To which you would have to reply 'Well, no, I know they don't care because they voted for candidate X.' exposing the fact that you really don't know what that person believes or thinks about issues or problems, you just think that they don't care about those problems because you think that candidate X doesn't care about those problems and you don't think that candidate X cares about those problems because you heard it from your family, or your spouse, or friends at work, or the media. In other words: the whole basis of your argument is paper thin because it's not based on research, it's simply based on things you've been told by 3rd party sources. We should make it our business to try and get the opinions of the people we disagree with because, honestly, that's how we grow and mature as people and human beings.

Science and research shows time and time again that no growth comes out of being in an environment of contentment. Much like in physical exercise: it's great to do 350 pushups every day but if you want to increase strength and muscle size beyond what you already have, you have to up the number of pushups. Or you can bench 150 lbs every day, but if you want a bigger chest then, eventually, you have to up the amount of weight you're benching. And it doesn't happen over night, you don't go straight from 150 to 200, you go to 160, then 170, then 175, then 180 etc. until you finally achieve your goal.

Similarly, we have to expose ourselves to different and more challenging mental and social environments to mature emotionally and mentally. And that doesn't mean that we agree with that person but it does at least mean that we try to gather more information and try to put ourselves in that other person's shoes to try and figure out why they think the way that they do. Someone may, at this point of reading say 'I don't care what they think. I don't want anything to do with them or anyone that voted for candidate X because they're closeminded.' thus exposing their own closemindedness by not even entertaining a different mindset or point of view.

It's important that we learn to accept different viewpoints and different philosophies than our own so that we can grow into better and more empathetic human beings which in turn will help us more when we go to make our decisions in this life. If all we do is surround us with people who only agree with us then we have put ourselves in a 'Yes man' environment.

What do we learn from that? What do we gain from that? From only having people around us with the same views and same thoughts and tell us we're right no matter what we say? The answer is we gain a very one-sided, Closeminded view of life because all we've ever been exposed to is that one view. So, why would we be accepting of a different view point? Why would we listen to any other opinion than ours? We've been convinced that our view is the only view and the only way.

On the other hand, if we surround ourselves with several other people with different ethnic backgrounds, different political parties, different religious views, different occupations, etc. and we get all of those different opinions and different viewpoints on issues, then we may actually be able to come together as a people and find a middle ground, which would thereby put us in a situation to unite and fix the problems we face in this world. I would make the argument that the reason we haven't solved all these tough situations and problems in this world is because of everyone separating into their own individual groups of 'yes men' and only accepting one point of view. It's a very immature way to go about life. We can only mature through diversity and exposing ourselves to diversity because through diversity we can become united as one people.