Be Nice

It's been a minute since the last post; part one of...one, apparently. This pandemic has been a drain on any type of creativity that I used to have. So much has happened, so much changed, yet it feels like we have just been living on repeat since March 2020. I keep waiting for the 'end' of the pandemic so we can get back to 'normal' and then I realize that it will never happen. 

Normal is defined as "conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected." I am not sure we'll get back to that. Every time I open the news I am astounded at the mass idiocy of the world around me. It's never something expected, never usual in the way I remember. Everything seems non-standard these days, so have we broken normal? Are there just too many perspectives and ideologies to really maintain a group sense of 'normal' anymore? So where to go from here then?

I keep hearing from a lot of people that we have to create a new normal. I don't think we have the capacity for it. Some folks just want to stick their head in the sand and act like the pandemic never happened, reckless abandon regarding the health measures - don't tell me what to do!! FREEDOM!! The other side of this coin is to be completely paralyzed by the pandemic. Never leaving the house and being very outspoken about any choices different than their own. Snide comments about other people's choices and a huge sense of pretension and superiority. It feels like you have to be in one or the other camp and we aren't able to discuss or debate without turning into a virtue signaling extravaganza.

Most of us are mostly doing our best. Can we not try to show some compassion for other people and different viewpoints? You don't have to agree with everyone and because you disagree with someone, it doesn't mean they are stupid. It doesn't mean they should be completely disregarded. It also doesn't mean that they do not have any valid points. The flip side is that they may also have some invalid points, as we all do at some point in our lives, and that's okay. The world is complicated; we are complicated. The fact that complicated doesn't play well in the headlines does not mean we should stop trying.

But I'm pretty tired of it all.

Go out, find someone with whom you strongly disagree, and then build a friendship with them. Don't try to change their mind, don't engage in the ridiculous arguments of the day. Just be a good listener, and as we tell Boy Canadian, be nice.


Side note: I thought I would change the font when I post, just to give you all a visual aide as to who is posting. It's not usually that hard to figure out though...sad bastard, why that must be Mr. Canerican. Happy spring y'all, whenever it may find you.

Other side note: I got through this whole thing without using the word 'nuance' - it was a personal goal...yay me!

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