5 Ways to Keep the Humanity in our Political Thinking
Getting caught up in the current tumultuous ocean of political discourse is easy. Working to balance our thinking, calm the waters, and remain civil is harder, but should be the goals of everyone looking to engage in healthy political dialogue. One of the most important things we can do, and potentially one of the most difficult, is to keep civility and humanity in the forefront of our thinking.
Our political motivations may be humanitarian-based: we are sticking up for the little-guy, the underserved, the children, those without voice, the down-and-out, or the helpless. In our fight, however, we work to dehumanize those we think might be working against our cause. And this is the problem. When we dehumanize any portion of the population—even our political opponents—we add to the negative echo chamber that is growing louder in our country.
Here are five things we can do to keep the humanity in our thinking and in our conversations:
Do not name-call. Name-calling objectifies the group to which we are referring. This tactic has been used in war, in politics, and on playgrounds around the world. In every case it is simply an attempt to create an “other” of the person or people in question. If they are so different from us as to be considered “other,” it becomes justifiable to treat them poorly or to think or speak poorly of them.
Step back and slow down. Our immediate reactions are usually emotional and skewed. When we step back, slow down and take a deep breath, sometimes we can balance our thinking and instead respond in a rational way.
Learn their stories. We may find ourselves lumping a group of people into a pack. If we take the time to meet or at least learn about the personal lives, issues, decisions and backgrounds of even a single person in that group, we can personify the group by learning about the individual.
Try to flip your thinking. We can be shocked by a person or group’s behavior or decisions. If we stay calm for a moment to stop and think, we may discover an unpleasant sense of self-righteousness when we realize we have acted similarly in different circumstances. What catalysts have driven us to feel something so deeply that others might have been shocked by our past behavior?
Remember that most people are good people. And those in the political arena, especially those willing to serve or get their hands dirty as citizen lobbyists, generally have big hearts. Most people want to alleviate suffering, strengthen people, spread love and overall, want to do good.
When we are able to see the humanity in all humans, we don’t create enemies of those who might think differently. Keeping humanity in our political thinking allows us to build effective collaborations and successfully work toward real solutions in the political arena.