Both Sides

I have been observing, like the majority of people in the U.S. the measles outbreak. Overall it has been very sobering, because I think it has revealed the state of the U.S. I saw post after post on my facebook about people being angry at parents who do not vaccinate their kids, articles calling for such parents to be put into jail, blogs about how unvaccinated kids should be banned from school, and once again a call for vaccines to be government mandated. Of course then you have the comments of those responding to these posts, articles, blogs, the anger and the hate is so sad to see. Instead of taking the time to ask those who don’t vaccinate their reasons, instead of seeing the growing trend of those not vaccinating and wondering why so many have done so, instead of calling for more studies, or debates between experts on both sides of the equation, instead of researching the data so you can come up to your own conclusion. Anger, hate, and bullying rule the day. Of course its not just one sided, the those who don’t vaccinate respond in the kind. In a nation that prides it self on embracing diverse lifestyles, in a nation that prides its self on being modern and scientific, in a nation that prides itself on being tolerant and open minded…it is once again proven that this is all a lie. And what is the bases of all of these? Fear, I get it, we are talking about our children’s lives here, the elderly, those who immune systems are compromised. I am a parent myself, and the last thing I want is for my child to get sick. But being a parent means making informed decisions, it means not given into the hype, the emotion, not getting caught up in all the hoop la. It means I must make decision that is best for my child, and not based on fear. We as a nation will never make progress if we continue to respond to issues this way. It has come to the point in our society that you cannot talk about gays, abortion, vaccines, religion, or any major topic of our day with out resorting to name calling and bullying. Is this really a tolerant nation? Or does tolerance simply mean agreeing with what the majority of people think.

This is even the case in some collages now, a place were we come to learn, were our preconceived ideas are supposed to be challenge, were we are supposed to be exposed to new ideas, we can’t talk about these issues because it gets too heated, and people get offended. Why? Fear. Its hard to look at something that perhaps you have believed your entire life and think that maybe it was wrong. Its hard to not take it personal when someone disagrees with something you hold dear, or something that defines you. Being able to discuss something with someone who holds the opposing view takes courage and maturity. But if we resort to hate, and bullying tactics to just shut up the other side we will never grow. So my challenge for you is next time you come across someone who thinks differently then you, ask them about it. See why they think the way they do. Don’t name call them, don’t hate them, don’t try to convince them they are wrong and your right. Simply discuss it. You know for yourself that as soon as you feel attacked by someone you either shut down, or attack back. So if you truly care about the other person, don’t attack them. Even if you know that they are wrong, attacking is only going to throw up walls, break friendships, and further push them the opposite way. It never works, anger generally produces anger, but a gentle response is remarkable at diffusing a situation. My second challenge is, research these topics for yourself. Talk to the experts, read books, don’t just blindly believe what you have heard your entire life, what the media tells you. Don’t just research what backs up what you already believe, but read what the opposing side says. Doing your best to give it a fair consideration. Its not easy, but it will help you to make wise decisions.