The Holy Post is a podcast I listen to relatively frequently. This week's episode, particularly the discussion from the 18:00-36:00 minute mark, I found gave me food for thought.
In that section they discussed a study about political and moral polarization. I won't be able to properly summarize the study (so follow the above link and listen to the episode for specifics), but it really made me reflect on how I view people who have different political views than me. I'm not even a very political person, and I am very mild-mannered by nature, but even I have felt more emotionally pulled into the overlapping debates surrounding Trump, vaccines, racism (etc.) over the past 5 years. Particularly with the protests currently happening in Ottawa for the past few weeks, these issues seem to be hitting closer to home.
Their discussion revolved around the danger of the perception of polarization in our society. In other words, the fact that some of us are more left/liberal leaning and others of us are more right/conservative leaning is not the main issue. Humans have had differing political views forever and we have found ways of getting along despite them. What is more harmful to society is the perception that there is a massive divide between the left and right, and that the people on "the other side" are idiotic, threatening, evil, or even demonic. News outlets and social media often work to exacerbate these perceptions. We lose sight of the things we have in common and the positive aspects of people on "the other side".
Although I am far from either extreme in these political debates, I have still felt the seeds of the phenomenon in my own thoughts and feelings, and this podcast episode called me out on it. As we move forward in this politically heated climate, I want to be intentional about viewing those I disagree with not as enemies but as people to be valued.