I remember very clearly seeing an unfolding news story that made me mad…fighting mad…
It was the scene of Reginald Deny being pulled from his truck and smashed in the head with a brick during the horrific LA riots of 1992.
You remember, the one sparked by the acquittal of the officers charged in the Rodney King beating.
Back then I had a different worldview than I hold today. One that was far more to the right…
I mean, way far more!
And I felt a great degree of righteous indignation about that terrible beating…
that no matter what motivated it, it was wrong and the perps had to be punished…severely.
Well, I still believe all that. Of course, it was wrong.
But that’s only part of the story…and after 3 weeks in the LA County Jail, I’ve got an entirely different perspective about, as old Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”
Recently, I got embroiled in a Facebook comment thread that seemed to go on ad infinitum about an article written by Thomas Sowell.
Dr. Sowell put forth the proposition, using statistical reference, that blacks in Ferguson are not unfairly targeted by the local police…
That the scathing DOJ report to the contrary is just a bunch of hooey.
I strongly disagree.
You see, I tend to view things differently now than I did back in 92.
Back then I’d probably have agreed with Dr. Sowell.
So, why the dramatic metamorphosis in thought, Costa Rica Guy?
Well, thanks for asking, since that’s the real motivation for this post.
I believe what changed is my ability to see things from more than one perspective…
To empathize with others, or not avert my eyes, even when their situation in life is far removed from my own…
as that of those involved in the LA riots were and those protesting and rioting in Ferguson now are.
I recently came across a post by Seth Godin that seemed to offer some insight as to why we often get stuck in a particular worldview that prevents us from seeing things from any other perspective…
that compels us to…avert our eyes.
Seth says…
There’s a long history of denialism, defending the status quo and ignoring what others discover. That two balls of different weights fall at the same speed. That the Earth rotates around the Sun. That the world is millions of years old. That we walked on the Moon.
Seth does on to say…
Why deny? It’s a way to avert our eyes.
Two related reasons, internal and external.
The external reason is affiliation. What happens to one’s standing when you dare to question the accepted status quo? What are the risks to doing your own research, to putting forth a falsifiable theory and being prepared to find it proven wrong? What will you tell your neighbors?
When adherence to the status quo of our faith or organization or social standing looms large, it’s often far easier to just look the other way, to feign ignorance or call yourself a skeptic…
The internal reason is fear. The fear of having to re-sort what we believe. Of feeling far too small in a universe that’s just too big. Most of all, of engaging in a never-ending cycle of theories and testing, with the world a little shaky under our feet as we live with a cycle that gets us closer to what’s real.
Seth says, in conclusion…
Part of being our best selves is having the guts to not avert our eyes, to look closely at what scares us, what disappoints us, what threatens us. By looking closely we have a chance to make change happen.
I believe one’s social circle and standing in it, religious and political connections (as those two often go hand to hand), among other things, represent the “affiliations” that largely determine our degree of empathy…
or, as Seth says, the degree of our tendency to look the other way, to avert our eyes to realities that may be far removed from our own.
That doesn’t make us bad people…it’s very normal human behaviour.
But the question I pose this morning is this…
Is it conducive to greater impact?
You see, the ones who need your impact the most, may not be the ones sitting in the pew next to you on Sunday morning, or with whom you play golf, invite into your home, or agree with politically.
How so?
Well, it certainly has an influence on things like…
who you vote for.
And who you vote for has an influence on…
who actually gets elected.
And once elected, what policies are implemented, what wars are started, etc., etc.
These are important things to think about, wouldn’t you agree?
So, it’s a good idea maybe to step back and evaluate how your worldview got inside your head to begin with.
And then ask yourself, is it consistent with how the world really is…
from the perspective of all its inhabitants, even those far removed from your present reality and affiliations?
Don’t let affiliations and fear lead to averting your eyes and thereby become impact blinders.
image credit: ONE/MILLION via Compfight cc
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