Thanks for this piece. I can relate to so many parts of it. I especially loved this: "Because it wouldn’t make my life (or theirs) any better if I hated them for their beliefs and because love defies logic or reason." I decided to leave Facebook for a while (I'm not sure how long) and one of the things that has prompted me to distance from social media is that I realized I was judging people based on their posts. If they didn't seem to be on the same political side as me, I didn't like them and didn't want to connect with them. Yet, like you say, relationships are so much more dynamic than that. We can find common ground. A while ago, I wrote a few articles for Patheos. What I experienced is that some of those I expected to see, love, and share the articles did not do anything at all (I'm not angry...that's just social media algorithms. It's hard to gain visibility), and a couple of those who I expected would be upset by what I wrote or would perhaps argue with me were telling me how much they loved my writing, and they were the ones sharing it. So, we never really know what to expect. As a fellow Montanan (raised in Butte, living in Missoula), I too am not so thrilled about this election, and I sometimes worry about my rights as a woman being taken away. I like Rachel Maddow too :)
Thank you so much Susannah! I’m glad it resonated with you and it’s so nice to connect with another Montanan. I’m looking forward to reading more of your writing. I completely agree about your points on social media and how easy it is to make people one-dimensional on there. I was off of Fb completely for two years during the pandemic and it was so good for my mental health. Now I post once in a while and I’m so out of the habit that I forget to even check it. Substack is a breath of fresh air. I’m loving discovering new writing on it. Thank you again for your thoughtful response.
Thank you so much. I’m definitely enjoying my time here on Substack. You’ll be getting another poem around 12:15-ish on Wednesday. I like that preschedule feature. :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
This is a nice way to approach such a difficult topic. I’ve been thinking recently that maybe we’ve all been fighting our political wars by proxy: one side drives around with American flags and bastardized flags in their trucks, “Let’s Go Brandon” stickers on their tailgate, and the other side puts Black Lives Matter signs out and fly their rainbow flags. We’ve used these shorthand symbols to express our opposition to each other, and I wish we could just all put them away and find our common humanity.
Thank you Tom - I totally agree. We’ve adopted symbols and co-opted talking points instead of doing the difficult work of finding things we like about each other. Remembering each other’s humanity will help us get back to civil dialogue (I hope).
Thanks for this piece. I can relate to so many parts of it. I especially loved this: "Because it wouldn’t make my life (or theirs) any better if I hated them for their beliefs and because love defies logic or reason." I decided to leave Facebook for a while (I'm not sure how long) and one of the things that has prompted me to distance from social media is that I realized I was judging people based on their posts. If they didn't seem to be on the same political side as me, I didn't like them and didn't want to connect with them. Yet, like you say, relationships are so much more dynamic than that. We can find common ground. A while ago, I wrote a few articles for Patheos. What I experienced is that some of those I expected to see, love, and share the articles did not do anything at all (I'm not angry...that's just social media algorithms. It's hard to gain visibility), and a couple of those who I expected would be upset by what I wrote or would perhaps argue with me were telling me how much they loved my writing, and they were the ones sharing it. So, we never really know what to expect. As a fellow Montanan (raised in Butte, living in Missoula), I too am not so thrilled about this election, and I sometimes worry about my rights as a woman being taken away. I like Rachel Maddow too :)
Thank you so much Susannah! I’m glad it resonated with you and it’s so nice to connect with another Montanan. I’m looking forward to reading more of your writing. I completely agree about your points on social media and how easy it is to make people one-dimensional on there. I was off of Fb completely for two years during the pandemic and it was so good for my mental health. Now I post once in a while and I’m so out of the habit that I forget to even check it. Substack is a breath of fresh air. I’m loving discovering new writing on it. Thank you again for your thoughtful response.
Thank you so much. I’m definitely enjoying my time here on Substack. You’ll be getting another poem around 12:15-ish on Wednesday. I like that preschedule feature. :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Wonderful! I will look for it Susannah! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is a nice way to approach such a difficult topic. I’ve been thinking recently that maybe we’ve all been fighting our political wars by proxy: one side drives around with American flags and bastardized flags in their trucks, “Let’s Go Brandon” stickers on their tailgate, and the other side puts Black Lives Matter signs out and fly their rainbow flags. We’ve used these shorthand symbols to express our opposition to each other, and I wish we could just all put them away and find our common humanity.
Thank you Tom - I totally agree. We’ve adopted symbols and co-opted talking points instead of doing the difficult work of finding things we like about each other. Remembering each other’s humanity will help us get back to civil dialogue (I hope).
Your writing is soothing Janelle. An eloquently crafted essay around a difficult topic. 💕
Thank you Marilee! Your thoughts and opinion mean a lot to me. Appreciate your comments.