Society, Truth and Personal Narratives — Poking at "Sacred Cows"

I have often been accused of being "vague", "wishy-washy" and "lacking passion" because I don't often get on so-called "bandwagons" and start spewing inflammatory stuff in all directions.

On some level, I suppose it might relate to people not feeling comfortable with my approach to life.

So really, are you questioning what I said because you don't believe IT is true... or are you questioning what I said because IF it is "allowed" to be true for ME it brings into question the personal narrative you have been telling yourself about "How Life Works?"

When I was in college, I lived in an apartment down the stairwell from four devout Southern Baptist brothers from Waco, TX. On some level, I think they were incredibly surprised that I could be friends with them, given that I was a "Godless Heathen" from Denmark.

I'd listen politely to their repeated song-and-dance routines designed to "convert" me to Baptism, and then I'd politely decline their invitations to embrace God, but still invite them over whenever I was having a BBQ.

Mostly, it seemed baffling to them that I could be "a good person" without having faith the way THEY interpreted it. Somehow, it messed with their sense of reality and how the world worked; that I didn't have horns and spoke of Satan; that I didn't listen to ungodly death metal.

Periodically, I'd cause them consternation by pondering out loud — without judgment — how an obviously loving God would somehow not love someone following a particular faith. Of course, they would be ready for me... until... I'd share how it actually wasn't about me but about their very congregation fairly publicly denouncing another Southern Baptist congregation in the city for their "misguided" interpretation of scripture.

This is not a post about religion, by the way.

This is a post about "Personal Narratives" and the way people — and entire societies — get so wrapped up in their narratives being the same thing as Universal Truth that they fail to see and acknowledge that the very tangible things unfolding right in front of their faces completely contradict those same narratives.

Perhaps we are all guilty of this.

My Baptist friends couldn't reconcile someone being a "good person" while also being "godless." They struggled with idea that I sometimes embodied their core values more than they did...

Just to be clear, these words are not about assigning blame to those who are very attached to their particular narratives. Hey, whatever floats your boat!

Maybe it's about examining at least the possibility that alternative valid things and perspectives exist outside of yours, and even though different from you, don't necessarily represent threats, or evil... and might even teach you a thing or two.

At the moment, this kind of binary thinking seems very prevalent in the political and economic spheres.

You're either a "Lefty" or a "Righty." You're a "Capitalist," or a "Communist." You're either in favor of "Individualism" or "Collectivism." If someone "dares" to suggest that we might benefit from taking some of each and creating a new hybrid... they immediately get branded as "fence sitters." Which merely serves to prove the point that many people feel more comfortable staying in lockstep within their polarities, as opposed to uncovering and working towards beneficial OUTCOMES.

A lot of the time, these debates are not parallel, and they end up becoming chaotic balls of rage because the opposing sides are "mismatched."

For example, in the current Covid-19 tinged world, the debate about masks tends to more often than not be about health safety on one side, and rights and freedoms on the other.

It's almost as if people are more addicted to "being inflamed" than they are oriented towards uncovering actual workable solutions.

And as soon as someone gets near a working solution, it's best to "shoot the messenger" lest we actually could arrive at some kind of functional compromise.

It all reminds me that there are really good reasons why I largely avoid the human species...!

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend — what remains of it!

How about YOU? Does it seem like the world is eternally caught up in strict dualities, with little interest in working across differences? Does it seem like "BEING right" is more important than beneficial outcomes, regardless of who's "right?" Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 20211024 01:58 PDT
0378/1619