Disagreement will never justify disrespect.
We live in a world filled with people who have experienced a vast array of life events.
We all walk a path extremely unique to ourselves.
Our views, values and actions are all shaped around what we know and how we are able to apply it to our daily life.
How we see the world around us and the events that occur branches directly from our personal experiences and the paths we have walked.
I genuinely feel like social media especially has become a platform that enables disrespectful behaviour, a catalyst that brings out a bitterly cruel side to people.
It is disturbing and devastating to learn of the disgusting interactions many have online, some intensifying further to spill into real life.
We will never all see things the same or share exactly the same beliefs but we are not meant to.
It gives us our own special edge and it allows us to make our own special contribution to the world around us.
It’s what makes us who we are as individuals.
How we put differences aside and treat each other respectfully regardless is what shapes our community.
It is so important to remember that there is a crucial difference between starting meaningful, life-altering conversations and sparking up unnecessary battles where no one emerges a winner.
It’s all about how we convert our thoughts into words and how we deliver our perspective to others.
We all have a right to feel heard and know that our voice does hold value but no one gains anything by talking over others, putting our own beliefs over those of others or bullying others simply because we don’t think highly of their perspective.
We can’t move forward unless we move together.
We can’t construct a supportive society if we are too busy engaging in destructive behaviours.
Despite differences in our views and beliefs, the most valuable thing for us is to find common ground in our actions.
Focus on showing kindness and compassion to others, we can commit to our stances without being disrespectful and allow others a supportive environment to share their thoughts.
Be an open-minded active listener to allow learning and multifaceted meaningful conversations to form.
As for social media, we can teach ourselves new healthier habits and become more mindful users.
We can unfollow and disengage from any content that does not serve us, that brings our negative emotions to the surface or has created a toxic atmosphere among users.
We are never going to see things the same as others; it’s completely normal.
Our opinions all hold the same amount of value no matter how different they may be to those of others.
Be kind, be mature, be understanding and be respectful.
This will give us a better chance to create a more supportive community and from there, begin to build a more rewarding existence overall.
Supported people become successful people and we are all worthy of experiencing this.
