Chances are that you thought this was going to be somehow tied to the whirlwind of politicalness (I think I just came up with a new word) and sexual assault swirling around our little social apps.
It's not though.
You can definitely apply it to the aforementioned situation, but it's not why I'm writing this.
I'm writing about this because it's true. We have lost this ability to be nice to others who we disagree with. And I think the answer to "why we have lost this" is quite simple: We stopped caring about the opinions of others and have just viewed them as WRONG or the ENEMY that must be vanquished.
Look, I'll be the first to admit, I'm not Pro-Everything. I'm a Christian. I believe and defend that God has given us commands and morals to follow, and that we are supposed to flee from sin and temptation. So believe me when I say that I'm not for everything and I disagree with a lot of people. But is it too much or too hard to be kind to everyone? Aren't we supposed to show love? I get some situations it's really difficult for a certain individual to show love to another certain individual, because of past mistakes or wrongs. But isn't that what we are supposed to be getting at? The effort to just try and understand where the other is coming from.
But no. No, we've made it an all-out war where compromise on any issue is a no go. We've thrown people's emotions and feelings out the window, just to win an argument. So I challenge you to stand up for your beliefs. Stand for what you think is right. Stand against what you think is wrong. But, treat the other side with kindness and compassion, to the best of your ability. I get that sometimes it's impossible, I do. But that shouldn't hinder our stride. And proving somebody wrong shouldn't be our number one goal. To quote and change a line from Jurassic Park just a tad:
"You people were so preoccupied with whether or not they could prove someone wrong, they didn't stop to think how you should prove someone wrong."