During the pandemic period, we all passed many changes as individuals and as a soceity. A long period of terror and confusion, has been induced by the lack of clarity and incapability to fully understand what we are fighting against. One of the biggest development that has been observed through out the western world in that period, is the development of violence, frustration and dichotomy. We have lost trust. Some of us is our government, some in siences, some in their neighbours and some in the society as a whole.
In her book “the Shock Doctrine”, Neomi Klein describes in details how the effect of an economical and phisical shock, can reshape a society to it core. While we can disegree on how we change as a society in this covid era. I believe it is clear to all, everything has changed. We all became something new, personally and as a society.
The creation of society and it prosperity, is based on some kind of social understanding and willingness of its individuals to cooperate. This cooperation, is the root of any prosperous society. Since soceity is based on the many action of personal actors, the fundamental ideas of torelance and acceptance, are the core value for any productive society. Accepting the others, accepting that other think and act differently and accepting that we are all intitle to our own thoughts and action, are the basic of any healthy social contract.
To maintain such an healthy relation between individuals in a soceity, two things need to exist – Tolerance and critical thinking. Tolerance, is based on the capacity to accept that different people can think differently. Furthermore more, it is the acceptance that different thoughts are healthy and are creating the variety and riches of soceity itslef. It is not only important that people think differently and have the capacity to share it openly. It is a fundamental need for the creation of progress, uniqueness and advancement.
Critical thinking is probably more complicated, but not less important. It is the capacity of a person to question and doubt his own assumptions. The world is complex and constantly changing. Many thing that are true today will be false tomorrow. In many cases, many think that are good and relevant today change over time. The basic idea of critical thinking can be summaries as followed – when evaluating a thought, search to be proven wrong, instead of searching for affirmation to what you think you already know. To pursue such a path, a person will have to confront (peacefully), another person holding different values. This is the only way. In the majority of the cases, a person cannot be aware of what he doesn’t know. It is a hard process, that require humility and honesty. Nevertheless, it is the only way one can truly understand what is true or not.
in today day and age, it seems our society lost both tolerance and critical thinking. We prefer to let the authorities dictate truths, as we are all exhausted. We attack any person that think differently and categorize him as a conspiracy theory radicalist, just because it makes us feel uncomfortable. This feeling of uncomfortability comes from the deep understanding that we could be wrong. We hate it! Not because we hate the idea that another person can be right. But because it remind us how much we don’t know and how much it scares us.
In recent days, the green pass is been legislate all over the world. A legislation which will take a way the freedom of good people, just because they dare to doubt the unproven and constantly changing truths our rulers dictated for us. And what we decide to do about it? Shame the doubters! Without seriously considering their arguments, without accepting that different people think differently and with violent expressions full of fear and hatred.
Crises are temporary and pass over time, Societal changes affect generations ahead. In this reality of fear an dichotomy, friendship are broken and families are falling apart, because of lack of tolerance and critical thinking. Those losses and scars make us more lonely, fragile and scared. Our society is falling apart, hailing for our government to save us all from what is eventually our incapability to recognize ourselves in the mirror. We can blame only ourselves for what we became. Not the pandemic, nor our neighbors nor our government.
Lets try to listing to each other again. Accept and support each other regardless of our differences. Bring back small hopes and beautiful moment together. Slowly slowly, step by step. Because the happiness and health our each of us and our society as a whole is in our hand and the only way to make a change is to start one today.
Are you tired of being afraid and angry? Did you found this post helpful? Please share with me your opinion. Help the people next to you, by sharing this post with them.
Awareness and open conversation are the key for the creation of a better world.
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