Three In As Many Days...

 

Three in as many days…

In each of the last three days I have exited communication with a friend or acquaintance over… yes you guessed it… Donald J Trump.  These are people I have worked with, have admired and for whom I still have respect because I have seen their humanity – at work – in their community and in their family.  But now the communication is over.  In two of the instances, it was initiated by them, in the most recent, the decision was mine.  However, I think in all 3 cases it was unavoidable. 

For years we would respectfully discuss the pros and cons of Biden and Trump, of Conservative, Liberal and Independent values and ideology. Each would present articles and other information for review, and it provided (for me at least) another perspective to consider and upon which I would reflect.  You see, I believe that we must look at and into others’ views.  We must challenge ourselves and our values, for if we cannot defend them without resorting to insults or deflection then we need to reconsider our view(s).

And there lies the foundation for our separation… I try my best to be fact based and, in a time, when information is abundant but questionable, that is tough to do.  I use a minimum of 14 sources ranging from the highly conservative to the impassioned liberal.  I do my best to find those kernels of truth across these multiple platforms; and I do it truly for no one else but myself.  I love the sharing of this information and sources and will cite them so the other person may review it themselves.  Unfortunately, they seldom do.
So opinion and belief meet and collide with fact and emotion collides with logic.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  Depending on the topic there may be no factual answer.  Sometimes it did (does?) come down to “what we feel is right” and that is OK as long as we understand why we believe it is right.  I guess it’s the logical part of me asking repeatedly “WHY”.  Why do I believe something?  Why do I feel strongly about a topic / issue?   What drives my belief/opinion… Bias?  Fear? Faith? Law? 
I try to always understand the why of my views and try to ensure that my reasons are good not only for myself but also for others.  That what I believe is for the common good and does no harm. 

But I have lost communication with 3 people.  Lost it because two took offense to my position of Trump.  The third was because I grew tired of discussions that were overall one-sided.  They seldom read what I sent, while I read all of theirs.  Tired of conspiratorial statements that never had viable evidence (to use the Big Lie for example).  So, I ended a conversation.

And now I feel badly.  I can handle being shunned by someone for my views.  What troubles me – and the reason I am writing this in my blog and on FB – is because for the first time I have shunned someone because I grew tired.   I am tired.  Tired of opinion carrying the same weight as fact.   But I still feel badly.

Thanks for listening