Lately, every time I log on to social media, I feel like someone is practically yelling about one thing or another. It’s no wonder social media engagement has dropped off.

There’s a reason (actually, several) why I don’t often voice my opinion on big topics.  

First, there are a lot of people in my life who I love who may have a different opinion than I do. And I don’t want to argue with someone I love about an issue that doesn’t really affect our relationship in the first place.  

Secondly, and this is the big one – I don’t want to add to the noise. Odds are, most people already have their opinions – politics, government, mask debates, healthcare, the list goes on. It feels like everyone is just trying to be louder than the other side, and that everyone must choose a side. It also seems like if you choose a side and don’t agree fully with everything on that side, you’re considered a “traitor”. And I do not want to add to that. I’m not going to change someone’s mind by echoing the words of some political influencer or talking head, sharing a screenshot of some divisive comments, or reposting a meme that can be offensive and downright rude.  And I want you to remember that you aren’t going to change someone’s mind by doing those things, either. How will you change someone’s mind? It’s likely that when you show empathy and understanding for their thoughts and feelings, listen to them, and don’t give them a list of “talking points” you’ll have a better chance of getting through to someone. 

And finally, these conversations are so nuanced. People’s points of view come so much from lived experiences. If you haven’t experienced some form of discrimination, you might not think it’s a big deal. If you haven’t lived through communism, it’s easy to say “it’s a great system – I don’t know what the critics are talking about.” It’s really easy to see things in black and white when we haven’t experienced them ourselves.  I think if we did more listening and less talking, we’d be more likely to come up with solutions that could work better for the common good of all of us.  So that’s why I often don’t share. Ultimately, I want for people to come to my page and learn something, find something useful, or be inspired to live a better life. I don’t want someone to come to my corner of the internet and feel like I am just adding more noise to their life.

At the end of the day, I try to live as much like Jesus as I can, and although I very often fail miserably, it is certainly something I intend to always try to do – and I want my spaces to reflect that.

xoxo