Ideological Purity, Self Righteousness, Social Media and Isolation
Life presents us with many tensions. Over the course of my life I have been privileged enough to come in contact with a diverse assortment of people. Raised within a Christian home I have experienced the diversity under that "umbrella," from evangelical Baptist to Eastern Orthodox (and I'm United Methodist ((for now))). As a salesman I've entered into relationships, often friendships, with Chaldeans, Palestinians, Jordanians, Indians, Pakistanis, and pissed off Caucasians. As you may guess, these folk cover a vast array of political views and religion. My wife is from Haiti. My best man was African American. I point this all out not because I believe it makes me better than anyone, but because it has made me a better person. It has made me more empathetic. It has made me a slightly better listener. Where am I going with this? Around two to two and a half years ago in the midst of one of the worst periods of anxiety and depression in m...