I blame it all on Google.  All I have to do if I want to know something is to Google it.  We do it on car trips, during casual conversations, when we want to research each and every little thing under the sun.  In terms of information, it can’t be beat and, as we all know, if it’s on the internet or in the media, it must all be true, right?  And although tech companies have named these little founts of information Siri and Alexa, complete with women’s voices (probably a topic for another blog), the truth is, these are cold hard machines.  They can only spout what is put into them by people.  The information may be accurate or inaccurate, fair and balanced or skewed, backed by quantitative or qualitative evidence, but neither Siri, Alexis or the people who programmed them can read hearts or minds.

When did we, as a culture, decide that we could determine someone else’s thoughts or motives and become judge and jury by how they look or what they wear or where they live, where they go to school or church or what political party they belong to?  When did we decide that we need to place an individual in a locked box of our choosing because of one aspect of their personality or character?  And when did we decide that it was ok to condemn people we don’t know, have never met, have never gotten to know solely based on a cold hard machine and a media that can’t always be trusted?  When did we decide it was ok to HATE others just because they believe or think or live differently than we do?  When did we decide that no one is ever allowed to grow and change to become a better person, constantly reminding them of their past and not allowing them the grace to build a different future?

The problem with this type of behavior or thinking is that it is easy to get sucked up in it. Some get into their corners and comes out swinging.  Others run and hide and hope someone doesn’t  find out what they really think for fear of condemnation, isolation, hatred, and dare I say it, even death threats.  When did we get so holier than thou as a culture that we can choose who to hate and when to hate them and what to hate them for?  I have to admit that there are times when the hate I see and hear weighs me down, making me beyond sad and angry.

It’s hard I know.  There are some really bizarre things happening today, when our leaders are acting like children, everyone seems to be a victim for one reason or another and we’ve polarized everything and everybody.  There is no such thing as compromise as though it’s a sign of weakness if you give in to anything in order to settle something.  I’m not saying there’s no reason to fight for those things you believe in, but it’s better to make some progress rather than come to a complete standstill.  Just like Siri and Alexa, we’ve become cold, hard machines.

The solution is so simple and apparently yet so hard.  It’s all about building relationships.  It’s about getting to know more about a person than their demographics.  It’s finding those things you have in common rather than just those things you disagree with.  It’s discovering that we all love, we all hurt, we all just want to be acknowledged and feel like we make a difference.  But this means letting go of the hate, being brave enough to step outside our self created comfort zones containing only the people who think like us. Isn’t it time to begin getting to know the hearts and minds of other people instead of finding ways to hate them?  Please, if for nothing else, for the sake of the children who are going to have to deal with whatever might be left.