Brace yourself because I am coming in hot with this one! If you have been following me for any amount of time then you know that I won't downplay my words just to make someone feel good. I love to encourage everyone, but not by sacrificing the truth.
So today I want to talk about skills. One of the most amazing parts of this life, this experience, this human experience, is building new skills. These are any skills that would add to our lives. Maybe it is personal, professional, spiritual, crafts, hobbies, or even social. That's what I am talking about today is the social part.
We seem to be struggling with what could be one of the most important skills I have ever learned.....
Learning to hear something we do not like.
That seems to be something that we have all lost over time is the ability hear information, take in information that we don't like. The most popular word these days is Offended. Everyone is getting offended over everything.
In our modern world we are trying to redefine what it means to be an adult. One thing that I have noticed is the inability to look someone in the eye. To carry on a conversation with someone that does not agree with us. To have a civil discourse with another adult without firing off "SCREW UP" and marching off.
Some try to twist others words to fit their narrative be it about politics, race, religion, education, you name it and someone will twist it. There needs to be an understanding of the fact that another person is not responsible for our feelings, or the way we feel about their thoughts and words.
Hate speech is another hot phrase that can not be defined. There is no black and white when it comes to hate speech because it is subjective and you can't predict how someone feels. The hard line that is easy to define is when someone calls for violence or commits physical violence against another person....that is not subjective. You can see and measure that, and that is not ok.
I won't even say that we Should have the right to say what we want...I will say we DO have the right to say whatever we want. We need to learn how to hear information that flows from other people or sources even if we don't like it.
As the years continue to come one after another we need to learn how to handle this uncomfortable situation. I can't speak to under the age of 18, but once someone turns 18 they are considered an adult in the United States. They can vote, they can serve in the military, they can buy lottery tickets. Once someone is an "adult" they should have the skills to communicate with another adult. This includes hearing something they don't like, it may even mean to say things that others don't want to hear.
If we can not remember what it means to be and act like an adult then we are dooming the future. If we continue to isolate ourselves into smaller and smaller groups based on how we feel, then we will end up standing by ourselves.
If we are to grow as a species then we have to remember the difference between how children act and how adults act. If we want to remember that every person in this world has the right to food, water, and their own words...then we have to remember....either we are part of the solution..or we are part of the problem. If we want to be able to say whatever we want, then we also have to hope that other people have learned how to hear us!
Be well
~The Yeti
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