More to the story
As I scroll through my Facebook news feed these days, I find myself more and more discouraged about the state of our society. Not so much because of the tragic things that are happening - though there are many things happening in our world to be concerned about. But rather, what I find more disheartening is the way we talk about these things.
I have written about this before, and will no doubt write about it again, but today I want to focus on one simple part: the reality that there is always more to the story.
I don't care what the story is, and I don't care which side of the story you are on - if it's a news story these days, don't assume you have the whole story. Everything has an angle - whether it's intentional or not. That's reality. Even if we were both there, we would have different perceptions of what happened. And we weren't there. So we don't know the whole story.
Now I am not saying is that you cannot have an opinion. There are certainly things happening in our world that we need to have an opinion on. There are big issues that we need to talk about.
What I am saying is we need to be careful how we approach these topics. If I approach a topic with an attitude of already knowing all the answers, I shut down any opportunity for constructive conversation. This is what I see all over my Facebook feed. I have friends on both sides of a number of issues and I see posts and memes that make very clear their position and that they believe they are right and see no room to move on their position. And very quickly these turn into yelling matches and name-calling. Just look at the comments section of any news posting and you'll see it.
However, what if we approach the conversation with an attitude of humility, realizing that we don't know the whole story?
It doesn't mean we don't have opinions, but it creates space for dialogue. Humility gives an attitude of being willing to listen. It doesn't mean that I have to change my mind, or you have to change yours, but hopefully at the end of the conversation we have a better understanding of each other.
I am grateful to have so many friends with different perspectives. And I especially appreciate those who know that I have different opinions than they do, and yet respect my opinions and the thought that has gone into creating them. And the world would certainly be a better place if we all were able to approach difficult situations with humility, knowing we don't have all the answers, and willing to listen and respect even when we don't agree.
I have written about this before, and will no doubt write about it again, but today I want to focus on one simple part: the reality that there is always more to the story.
I don't care what the story is, and I don't care which side of the story you are on - if it's a news story these days, don't assume you have the whole story. Everything has an angle - whether it's intentional or not. That's reality. Even if we were both there, we would have different perceptions of what happened. And we weren't there. So we don't know the whole story.
Now I am not saying is that you cannot have an opinion. There are certainly things happening in our world that we need to have an opinion on. There are big issues that we need to talk about.
What I am saying is we need to be careful how we approach these topics. If I approach a topic with an attitude of already knowing all the answers, I shut down any opportunity for constructive conversation. This is what I see all over my Facebook feed. I have friends on both sides of a number of issues and I see posts and memes that make very clear their position and that they believe they are right and see no room to move on their position. And very quickly these turn into yelling matches and name-calling. Just look at the comments section of any news posting and you'll see it.
However, what if we approach the conversation with an attitude of humility, realizing that we don't know the whole story?
It doesn't mean we don't have opinions, but it creates space for dialogue. Humility gives an attitude of being willing to listen. It doesn't mean that I have to change my mind, or you have to change yours, but hopefully at the end of the conversation we have a better understanding of each other.
I am grateful to have so many friends with different perspectives. And I especially appreciate those who know that I have different opinions than they do, and yet respect my opinions and the thought that has gone into creating them. And the world would certainly be a better place if we all were able to approach difficult situations with humility, knowing we don't have all the answers, and willing to listen and respect even when we don't agree.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ~ Romans 12:14-18
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