Political Anxiety and Creating a Better Future
Jude Star
The author discusses the divisiveness of politics and the importance of empathy and understanding in bridging divides. They highlight that real social change occurs through kindness and listening, rather than arguing. Instead of relying solely on political action, we should focus on making a positive impact in our everyday interactions.
6 Nov 2024
When people we disagree with are mean to us, that reinforces our separateness and makes it easy to dismiss them and their views. We dehumanize each other.
But when someone we disagree with is kind to us, it makes us question our previous assumptions about them.
We shouldn’t be fighting against those we disagree with, instead we should be taking the time to listen to one another, trying to understand how they arrived that their views, while also trying to demonstrate how we arrived at ours.
If you model hate and dehumanizing others, then people around you will feel justified in doing the same. But if you model compassion, empathy, and understanding, you will also open that possibility for those around you.
While I realize this election has very real stakes for many people, I don’t think we should place our hope in elections. Yes of course vote and support the candidates that you think are best fit to govern, but also think about what change you want to see in the world, on a day to day basis, and think about how you can contribute to that.
When we look at the big problems of the world, it’s easy to feel powerless, like we don’t have impact. Instead of focusing on the areas you don’t have impact on, focus on the areas you do.
You have a very real impact in every relationship you have. If you’re kind, patient, and compassionate to those you encounter on a day to day basis, that’s impactful! It may feel like a drop in the bucket, but the bucket is full of drops…