Staying human in divided times

It used to be that news publications and the visual media agreed on at least the event that was in front of them.

They may report it differently, but there was general agreement on the reality of something occurring. That is no longer the case.

Media corporations are increasingly tailored to promote particular points of view, nurturing loyal audiences in order to keep revenue coming. We no longer see the same news or share a common narrative of what is happening.

In some news outlets, the stories are watered down to nothing, in others they are splashed front and center, both ways to shape their audiences.

Add social media in the mix, where algorithms track our time spent on posts as well as our likes and shares. The purpose is to keep users engaged, which boosts advertising revenue.

In other words, WE are the product on social media. Our time is being sold and the longer we are engaged, the more money is made on us. (For more information on this see the Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” available for free on the Internet Archive).

Because we are the product, the algorithms are tailored to our interests, and we are continually fed opinions we agree with. The result is we do not see much that would challenge our viewpoints.

The result of this is polarization. Each side believes they have the truth, and the other side is wrong. We cannot understand how people we know could possibly have a different opinion than the one we hold.

Each side digs in, shaped by the systems we see and hear.

Many have speculated that our democracy cannot survive such an impasse, such extreme polarization. Even if that feels dramatic, most of us can sense that something is deeply broken.

There may not be a single solution. But there is a place to start. Try to understand those who think differently than you do.

Watch different news media on occasion. Talk to someone who believes differently – not to argue with them, but to understand.

Ask yourself what informs your politics. Is it your morals, your faith, your belief system, or is it the other way around: do your politics inform your faith, your morals, your belief system?

Writer Anne Lamontt commented, “You can safely assume you have created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates the same people you do.”

The most effective way we can come together is through relationships. I am not on the same page as some of my friends in terms of who we root for in college football. That difference does not end the friendship.

I do not assume they are bad people because they cheer for the wrong team. The relationship matters more than being right.

The same is true for political viewpoints.

The goal isn’t winning. The goal is learning how to live together. We are connected by something deeper than opinions, deeper than parties, deeper than headlines.

Choosing relationship over argument does not mean ignoring injustice or pretending everything is fine.

It does mean committing to ways of interacting that heal rather than harm, that build rather than break, that reflect concern for the common good.

If our primary concern is to defeat the people who disagree with us, we might want to pause and ask what, exactly, is shaping our hearts. But if our concern is for our neighbors, our communities, and the fragile gift of living together, then perhaps the most radical thing we can do is simple: listen, stay curious, and keep showing up for one another.

About the author: Rev. Sharon Smith serves as a local pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Imlay City and is also a writer. She cares deeply about faith, community, and helping people talk to one another without a whole lot of yelling. Contact Sharon at tct@pageone-inc.com