They say opposites attract—but we’re about to fucking kill each other.

Polirizing’s on the rise.

Contrary to the multitude of colours found in a polarized light wave, polarized conflicts ping pong between two flat shades—black and white (sans light). 

Life’s best lived in the grey. All that means is let life flow. There’s more nuance this way. You’re not confined to limiting extremes that don’t allow much room for growth. But let’s get real... we’re all gluttons for punishment. We’re the occasional extremists who like to push boundaries and other people’s buttons. I mean, why be sensible and considerate and take a moment to pause and consider someone else’s viewpoint and reality when you can just power-on your confirmation bias, enter your glorious echo chamber and furiously blast venom in the opposite direction?

In case some of you may have been living under a rock, I’m referencing the mess we’re in at the moment as it relates to inoculations and the vax pass. 

Here’s the thing, folks…

Everyone’s fighting over what appears to be our differences. But that’s not the case. We’re all fighting ‘cause we’re afraid. Freaked out, fed up, possibly neurotic, and very afraid. Some of us are aware of this. Some of us are not.

It’s clear to see we’ve been triggered and have entered this fight/flight mode where everyone’s trauma is surfacing and being channeled in the utmost unproductive and hateful way: shaming the other. 

Makes sense. We’re pretty much all bathing in it (shame), so what better time to open the floodgates and let it pour hoping to drown our sorrows along with those whom we believe to have caused them. 

You know how they say that people are quick to reject and dismiss what they don’t understand (because they’re afraid)? Well, the opposite also holds true— people tend to quickly accept and glorify what they don’t understand...because again, they’re afraid. 

Here’s a short exploration of that thought process. 

Most (or at least many) people don’t fully understand science, for instance. And so, they’re either fascinated and succumb to anything a scientist will tell them, “Because clearly, they’re the expert and therefore must be right." They won’t even take a moment to consider that person’s limitations and margin of error. Maybe it’s a sign of having a weak sense of self, therefore, deferring to those that must know best. Or maybe, it’s a sign of a strong sense of self, therefore, feeling sure of yourself in trusting the right experts.

Either way, if enough experts say it is so and enough people agree that so it is —THIS must be right.

Others may reject what they’re being told. As if to question what really makes that person an expert. “Sure, the expert may be educated and a well-decorated professional, but how do we know if what they’re saying is true and not just partly true. And even if true, for how long until proven false. After all, nothing’s absolute.”

This, too, may be a sign of a weak sense of self where you simply can’t trust yourself to decide right from wrong. Or it can be a sign of a strong sense of self where you know that there are things experts don’t know and even don’t know that they don’t know. 

Either way, if enough experts say it is so and enough people agree that so it is — THIS must be right. 

Then, some trust but with a healthy dose of skepticism. And some distrust but with a healthy dose of optimism. These people exhibit the right amount of resistance and acceptance as they recognize that the very scientific process teaches us that it’s ever-evolving, which implies that what we know to date is limited. But they say this without dismissing the validity of accrued knowledge (good and bad).

The loudest of the pack divide between those that know best because THEY KNOW, and those that know best because YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW. 

I think the conflict resides within this group. Because the ones that know are furious with those that don’t know – but surely you can see how this last statement is a loop.

That said, maybe, as we navigate this storm, we can resist the urge to pool people in opposite spectrums labeling them as THIS OR THAT. It isn’t helpful and it’s a very narrow representation of reality. Maybe we can recognize that there are more sides to every story. Yes, there's an evident sense of urgency—all the more reason to stay calm.

I’d like to say that in the end, people gravitate toward the truth—but that would be lying. Some like to lie, some lie to be liked, and some lie about lying. But here we all are claiming to know the truth. The one and only truth. Here's some honesty: those who hold the light enlighten. And yet, at the moment, the world feels very dark.