What happened to nuance? The last few years everyone has fallen into such a binary thought process. yes/no; black/white; on/off; good/evil. Binary thoughts are immature, juvenile, and bluntly, childish. No one is all good or all evil. None of us should be judged by the worst thing we ever did and no one should be judged by the best thing we ever did.
When did we change? Have we changed? Our pre-historic ancestors lived in small tribes where survival meant consensus and teamwork. Encountering another tribe could mean death, or friendship and better chance at survival due to different ideas, new knowledge, new techniques and technology. Over time our tribes have grown into cities-states and nations. But here we are, with nations as tribes and tribes within nations, always wondering if that tribe over there means death or friendship. We in the US focus on our internal tribes while the nation's leaders theoretically focus on external tribes, other nations.
I think US leaders focus on retaining any power we gave them to the point they've lost sight of other nations as potential friends or enemies. These leaders are fostering a tribal mindset within and amongst us to retain power and the illusion of control. We are the Untied States but we act like a multitude of tribes fighting for dominance within our own borders. I think world leaders with power derived from and with consensus of a nation's people seek to divide that people to keep power.
We have not changed from those pre-historic humans struggling to eat and not be eaten. As a species, humans are still and probably always will be barbarians in our souls and our DNA. The difference now is global communication and a steady diet of social media, which is anything but social. The almighty algorithm keeps most of us safely in our bubbles and echo chambers. Anyone with a different viewpoint is suspect, from a different tribe, and could mean death. But it could mean friendship.
Those algorithms divide us more than our actual opinions. Most of us want what is best for ourselves, our family and friends, and humanity as a whole. We don't really want to see anyone eaten. Our pre-historic ancestors seem to have had it right, use caution with a new tribe but exchange ideas, knowledge, techniques, and technology. If every tribe thought they had the corner on survival and destroyed on sight humanity would have never survived and given us modern humans cell phones and space travel.
Politicians, all politicians, social media that lacks socializing, and blind algorithms that feed us only what we already (think) we know will be our downfall, globally. I'm not immune, no one is. I try to watch news and read news from different angles. I try to see through the BS given on both sides. I try to look for third or even fourth points of view (good luck!).
Discussions of right and wrong should look at the situation. Our more successful pre-historic ancestors got it right, be cautious, be ready to fight, be willing to parlay. Exchange the ideas, the knowledge, the technique, and the technology. Make room for circumstance or mercy or grace. Humans make mistakes and humans become unlikely heroes in someone's story.
