tolerance

tolerance.

I grew up in a 99.9% white town. When I first hung out with black people, I felt uncomfortable, not because I heard anything negative about them, but just due to the natural fear of those who are different than us. Just as when a black person who grew up in an all-black neighborhood, hung out in an all white place probably feels like. I was fortunate enough to have 1 of the 0.1% black population become my best friend, as he lived next door. These segregated dynamics are less prevalent in urban environment, as people are integrated more. We grew up close friends, tolerant and respectful of each other, even though slightly different, culturally.
In neighborhoods that are all white, or all black, that comfort is not present as much. In addition to being conditioned to distrust those not like ourselves, we are simply not used to tolerating difference. Tolerance is fundamental for peace, in neighborhoods, in cities, in countries, and in the world. Without tolerance, we inevitably have conflict, eventually, if divisions grow deep enough. Without tolerance, and common respect, discourse has little or no use.
We have become increasingly segregated along political lines, socioeconomic lines, and racial lines, to name a few. The deeper these divides get, the more people stop communicating, to avoid conflict. But in reality, it creates worse conflict. Because, people retract, and continue to only hold views like their own, unless they listen to views that oppose their own, and the echo chamber of matching views and ideas that groups exchange with each other, reinforce that sense of difference in members not of that group. That further difference makes people retract even further. There is no easy fix for this problem.
With the media, and its appetite for sensationalism, fueling further tensions for ratings, the Outlook is not pretty. In addition, common physical presence, among each other has dwindled, partially due to the advent of social media and cell phones. So, we are more likely to flock to people who believe as we do, when online, and if we do encounter someone online who has a view counter to our own, it seems easier to say horrible things to that person, because they don’t have a face, and we can be anonymous. That makes people extra sensitive in person, to be around those who are not like them, or don’t share their views. This is another huge mechanism of division. When you multiply all of those, it seems nearly impossible to resolve. And, if we do not resolve this problem, the end result is conflict, and often violence, for those who feel like they’re not being heard, or who are marginalized. And, this could happen regardless of whether the marginalization, or mistreatment, perception is accurate. They don’t know each other or know what each others’ struggles or ups and downs consist of. Rumors can persist, and build tensions further. Ideas will be expressed, and forced shutdown of expression becomes violent eventually. The divide is already deep enough, that people on the so-called left have taken it upon themselves to censor those, from some of the so-called right. So called left leaning people control much of the tech sector, and they have used there views, and a bit of self-righteousness to further the divide with censorship. Most likely those who are making these decisions, do not primarily have shutting down the right in mind they’re just applying their own values to a common medium. Censorship not just of speech, but of ideas and people who espouse them is what it’s taking place at an increasing rate. Many of The so-called right factions then are further expressing the ideas the left have been banned. The mechanisms that I just mentioned, and these ongoing actions have accelerated divisions rapidly. It is a dire necessity that we regain tolerance, if we are to have a hope 4 a peaceful Society. Maybe comment sections have to be accompanied by the face of the commentor. I jest.. somewhat.. I’m not sure if it’s fair but maybe people should be accountable for what they say. By being banned but by being seen. Just a random idea I’m sure that that affects people’s personal Liberties as well but I’m just throwing out ideas. Because this has to be repaired, even if it takes Banning Social Media. Perhaps cell phones are the new heroin. They do have all the characteristics of serious addiction and just like any other substance if you quit you have to walk away from the scene, that everybody you know is in. in the 1800’s the entire country was strung out on opiates. they must have been grumpy when they all kicked. I digress. It is tolerance we are losing the longer we stay apart from each other and stop talking, debating or having any discourse at all is we avoid mild discomfort, moderate discomfort, or outright anger. And eventually there is no peace, without exercising tolerance. Part of how we’ve dealt with tolerance problems in the past, was a forced integration of school systems, for children 2 learn to tolerate each other. This was very successful, for the most part. That current integration of school children maybe the only thing slowing this division down. How do we integrate people with different views, different backgrounds, different cultures, Etc? Because it requires all parties to voluntarily do so. But we absolutely must. We must force ourselves sit across the table, or bar, and discuss uncomfortable subject matter, even though it feels uncomfortable. Just as if you were to build muscles, you have to experience discomfort and tolerate the pain. We really need to build back that muscle of Tolerance, for the sake of Peace for our nation. We need to talk about all of the difficult subject matter amongst people who do not share the same view as ourselves. We also need to discuss things that are uncomfortable so that we can take action against those who are ruling us without our input. political matters, social matters, etc. We desperately need to socialize , in person, again. tolerance online does not translate 2 tolerance in person, and we are losing our ability to socialize in person rapidly to a technology that we cannot even be sure will continue to exist. Technology ceases to function without electricity. And there’s always the chance that we lose the ability to generate it temporarily or longer-term. Especially once oil starts to run dry.:Regardless of whether technology exists in the future, if the children are raised without tolerance in person, then they will only be able to get by online, and will be socially insufficient, and withdrawn from conversation or interrelation, in effect living in a bubble. And if nobody can get along because they don’t have proximity shared understanding or values, then we live in war, as we try to take, what we assume the others have, or take out others, for what we assume they want to do to us. And then always be on defense for what we assume they want to do to us can actually get attacked for what they assume we want to do to them you can see how this would be.. not pretty. We would all live in device Elation and violence. I don’t think I would like that. you probably wouldn’t either. Love your neighbor, argue with your neighbor, even if it comes to fists.. I don’t condone that I’m just saying it’s better than holding resentment in silence, which might lead to more destructive violence. work it out, be uncomfortable, push your limits, expose yourself that which you are slightly uncomfortable with, have conversations that are somewhat difficult, and let yourself be offended. Maybe even get into comedy again. We need to be able to tolerate being picked on to some degree. your future and your kids future depend on discourse and tolerance of others in your community and abroad. Otherwise difference simply turns into violence. Go pluck your mother, and have a nice day. no not really.. don’t have a nice day. are you offended? okay.. it’s a start!

This is a weird subject so feel free to discuss , because I think it’s something worth figuring out.