We have a lot of problems in our world today. We are a broken people in a divided society. I'm not going to rehash each specific issue here, but I do want to consider that division. One of the things that should be great about this world is its diversity. We are all members of different demographic groups. Some are determined by choice, others are not. Most of these groups, including the ones we choose, are not moral or immoral by default. However, most of these groups are given bad reputations by a small subset of that group. Each of these groups is made up of broken people, and broken people sometimes make bad decisions or do things that are immoral. None of us, however, want to be judged solely based on the worst parts of the groups we are a part of. While we are all broken, most of us are not evil. Most of us do not want to do wrong to others. Most of us are in the same boat: broken, yes, but generally wanting good for the world.
What I see in the world, however, is this: many people assume the worst about the groups they are not a part of, while brushing off and excusing the worst parts of the groups we are a part of. We nitpick the flaws in other groups and ignore the flaws in our own. We get defensive and angry when other people lump us in with the worst parts of our groups, and yet we turn around and do the same to them. We assume the truth behind court cases and people's intentions because of the groups certain people are a part of.
We need to stop drawing conclusions based solely on people's demographic groups. We are not simply a list of attributes; we are a society of unique individuals who are not limited in personal scope by the groups that have been defined for us or by us. Every person in a group is not the same, and we can differ greatly from the other members in our groups based on our personalities, life experiences, decisions, and thought processes. We need to stop assuming things based on the groups a certain person is a member of. We need to calm down, slow down, and carefully consider the facts in every situation. We need to think about the unique circumstances for every individual and instance. We need to embrace empathy and stop seeing every other person and situation through our own eyes and our own situation. Our thoughts and experiences do not define the thoughts and experiences of every other person. We need to take a step back from ourselves and stop assuming the worst of everybody different from ourselves in one of the many ways that each of us is different from every other person in the world.
We need to humble ourselves and admit that we are each broken and no better than one another. We need to admit our own shortcomings while not accentuating or exaggerating the faults of others. We need to stop assuming the best of ourselves and assuming the worst of others. We need to be able to step back, consider the facts, and rationally discuss those facts. If we continue to assume the worst about each other, we will never be able to come together. We will always be divided.
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