After a God-knows-how-long break, I tried Twitter again for a few days and all of that primitive tribalism kicked in immediately. Social media pushes the most narcissistic attention seeking idiots to the top of our feeds. It's impossible to keep yourself sane without actively resisting the insanity.
One thing I have done to keep my identity separate from my beliefs is changing how I frame them. For example, instead of saying I am a 'feminist', I say I believe in equal rights for both men and women.
I try to rid myself of as many labels as possible and it's been enormously helpful.
I always enjoy reading your essays. Deep pluralism is still not well understood, and I've been making the case that its worse than epistemology. People don't even know how to be around each other or talk anymore.
It's been enough for me to give up sectarian religion in totality and align with Deism. A Creator that is light and goodness by any name one chooses or not, a Natural Order,
no deified humans , no original sin. Born with a tabula rasa ( clean slate) free will to choose a path of morality, but not the sectarian " fire and brimstone" edict nor reciting a hundred Hail Marys with a beaded necklace and Voila!, absolution. One way or another, whether here or hereafter, egregious acts committed knowingly have consequences. Karma. That. lean slate can become quite a rap sheet... and leave people alone. Keep religion out of government and if targeting, persecuting, harming and killing people who don't bend to the religious doctrine of another's beliefs.. if you cannot live in secular society and assimilate as so succinctly laid out by the Constitutional framers- Get the fuck out and resettle in a theocracy. Between the hyper Christian Conservatives, Islamist Jihadists, Marxist atheist Islamists( figure that out), metastatic antisemitism... the only people who aren't making demands are Hindus and Buddhists and now the Hindus are being targeted by the aforementioned triumvirate. As the Constitution is being ripped to shreds.
Political partisanship have become fundamental extremist religious sects as well. Purity demands, requisite lockstep ideological obeisance. A Supreme Court that tramples the Constitution by ruling based upon religious and political ideology vs neutrality and the written law. Each " side" calling the other judicial activists. They all are.
We a country with a gaping hole that was once the pragmatic center. The hole is becoming a vortex and as it widens, it's a matter of time before we are all sucked into the abyss.
A much-needed piece for our times.
After a God-knows-how-long break, I tried Twitter again for a few days and all of that primitive tribalism kicked in immediately. Social media pushes the most narcissistic attention seeking idiots to the top of our feeds. It's impossible to keep yourself sane without actively resisting the insanity.
One thing I have done to keep my identity separate from my beliefs is changing how I frame them. For example, instead of saying I am a 'feminist', I say I believe in equal rights for both men and women.
I try to rid myself of as many labels as possible and it's been enormously helpful.
Yes!
I need that eyeroll black sheep as my avatar.
Where's the original meme?
Women live to agree with each other. No lively debate or ... Thinking happens in female only groups
Really love this, thank you!
I always enjoy reading your essays. Deep pluralism is still not well understood, and I've been making the case that its worse than epistemology. People don't even know how to be around each other or talk anymore.
It's been enough for me to give up sectarian religion in totality and align with Deism. A Creator that is light and goodness by any name one chooses or not, a Natural Order,
no deified humans , no original sin. Born with a tabula rasa ( clean slate) free will to choose a path of morality, but not the sectarian " fire and brimstone" edict nor reciting a hundred Hail Marys with a beaded necklace and Voila!, absolution. One way or another, whether here or hereafter, egregious acts committed knowingly have consequences. Karma. That. lean slate can become quite a rap sheet... and leave people alone. Keep religion out of government and if targeting, persecuting, harming and killing people who don't bend to the religious doctrine of another's beliefs.. if you cannot live in secular society and assimilate as so succinctly laid out by the Constitutional framers- Get the fuck out and resettle in a theocracy. Between the hyper Christian Conservatives, Islamist Jihadists, Marxist atheist Islamists( figure that out), metastatic antisemitism... the only people who aren't making demands are Hindus and Buddhists and now the Hindus are being targeted by the aforementioned triumvirate. As the Constitution is being ripped to shreds.
Political partisanship have become fundamental extremist religious sects as well. Purity demands, requisite lockstep ideological obeisance. A Supreme Court that tramples the Constitution by ruling based upon religious and political ideology vs neutrality and the written law. Each " side" calling the other judicial activists. They all are.
We a country with a gaping hole that was once the pragmatic center. The hole is becoming a vortex and as it widens, it's a matter of time before we are all sucked into the abyss.