Distance

As I grow older, I find that one of the hardest things I can do is watch people become so dogmatic about their beliefs that they begin to lose contact with those around them. I've seen this again and again, actually. Someone will be rather moderate, in one direction or the other, and then slowly begin to move towards an extreme view. As they do this, they stop being open to other ideas. And as this openness stops, they also cease contact with anyone in their lives who sees the world differently. They do this even if it is someone they loved.

I'm starting to believe that self-identity politics is the most evil force in our world. People are allowing abstractions to justify why they are rude to others, why they hate others, and even why they are willing to kill others. Abstractions. Things that are not truly tangible rule their lives. And all the while, the things that are tangible, like other people, are just cast aside. It's sick. And it's very sad.

Our philosophies are interesting, but we can't hold them in our hands. So why is it that we let them outweigh the reality around us? When someone gets married and you claim to care about that person, how could you allow your abstract notions to be more important than sharing in the joy of that marriage?

When you notice that someone on your Facebook page "likes" an article that you disagree with, why would that disagreement be reason enough for you to distance yourself from this person? The person is real. The philosophy addressed in the article is up for debate. Given that one side might be wrong and that side may be yours, why would you value that more than the actual person?

The things we hold in our hands are the only things we know to be real. This is the truth. We may wish to put a lot of faith in the abstractions, but that does not give then weight or substance.