*Disclaimer: I am not a historical or political expert. I am not endorsing a “side.” I am writing this as a life coach who wants to support people through this challenging time.
Those of you who know me, know I often say with exasperation, “Why can’t we all just get along?!” or “Why can’t we be human with each other?!” or “We’re all Americans! We need to stop focusing on ‘sides’!”
I believe embracing the paradox of both/and will lead to better conflict resolution and communication. In my experience, binary thinking (either/or, wrong/right, black/white) leads to division and blame. If we can train our brains to see from all sides of an issue, be curious, ask respectful questions, and listen to others with different opinions than ours, I believe we can begin the healing process in our country.
Many of us are experiencing strained relationships within our families, friends, or co-worker groups due to the current polarization in our country. It’s uncomfortable. It isn’t pleasant. It isn’t easy.
It sucks!
It may be helpful to remember, this isn’t the first time in history that this has happened, nor will it be the last. As a nation, we’ve experienced polarizing events during the Civil War, the Spanish Influenza pandemic, the Civil Rights Movement…you get the idea. We will come out the other side!
I feel one of the main differences today is that we have so many channels from which to get instant information, be it accurate or otherwise. Social media is run by algorithms that play into our belief systems, making it harder than ever to locate unbiased information.
To support your quest for unbiased news, here are some ideas to get you started:
Starts with Us is a nonpartisan movement community of more than 3 million people focusing on our shared humanity, common ground, and the power of constructive conflict and dialogue. Learn more here: https://startswith.us/
A podcast called “12 Geniuses Podcast” partnered with Starts with Us and released three conversations on 8/19/24, one on 8/25/24, 9/3/24, 9/10/24, and 9/17/24 that educate on political and cultural division and how we can overcome them.
Another tip, PBS News Hour has less biased reporting than many other news outlets, in my opinion. Here’s a link to their website: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/ I also feel that the network news is a bit less biased than most cable news companies.
International Intrigue is a daily newsletter designed by former diplomats. Learn more here.
1440 is another fact-driven daily newsletter for “the intellectually curious” that covers a wide range of topics, from serious to fun.
What are some of your favorite unbiased news sources? Do you have a tool (website, community, book, etc.) that can help us handle these challenging times?
Next time I’ll share some strategies I use as we navigate this election cycle.
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