introduction to kneutrality
neutrality, the state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, is likely the only remedy to our society’s growing division. today, both political parties, along with a series of opposing faith groups, are working tirelessly to divide US citizens, Christians, and other faithful people, communities, schools, and families. there are several ways this deepened division has been successful. here’s the kneutral take.
first, inflammation is at the heart of our social media spaces. social media has arguably been the most direct source of such growing conflict and the need for viewers. what incites viewers? disinformation, insults, harassment, clickbait, and noise. this leads me to my next point.
noise on top of noise creates chaos. the term chaos is putting our situation lightly. we’re violent, angry, and untrusting of our neighbors. we believe that we must post our opinions on everything in order to stay relevant and again, if we want any viewers at all, we must be inflammatory. we must use emotional rhetoric, we must engage in culture wars and petty fights. we’ve mistaken yelling for preaching. we’ve mistaken silence as a sign of disinterest. we’ve mistaken influencers and vocal figures as experts. the chaos must end. as Taylor Swift so eloquently said, you need to calm down.
the art of patiently and compassionately listening to the opposition has been replaced with more yelling and blaming. Listening has been seen as weakness, rolling over, and/or political/religious suicide. to listen to “an other” is to give them a voice. giving them a voice is seen as endorsing them. the only way to stay in power is to rally the base; not engage in thoughtful discussion with an opposition. to give “the other” any form of respect is to respect their ideologies and therefore endorse them. this is false. rather, listening is a form of deep spiritual strength. during any debate, one can show strength by not hiding from the other side, not shushing their perspective or yelling over it. true strength is having considered their point and not being afraid of it.
ultimately, and more importantly than blaming social media for our increased paralysis and chaos, we should blame our fear of the other. fearing the opposition, fearing that tons of people hate you, want you dead and will do anything to silence you, is at the foundation of our mistrust of neighbor. this causes a herd mentality; the belief that only a few can be trusted, only those within our tight inner circle. politicians and religious leaders capitalize on that — primarily financially. the opposition seems so aggressive, so violent, so not understanding. why would we step out in faith? wouldn’t doing so be subjecting ourselves to shame? maybe, but it’s more likely that the opposition doesn’t hate you as social media would like you to believe.
kneutrality seeks to be a space for all people to enjoy life’s little moments, while also considering life’s biggest questions. particularly, kneutrality is a space for…
those of us who want a non-inflammatory source of media that will respect the audience’s right to discernment, that will respect the humanity & dignity of the opposition, and all who want to have thought-provoking conversations.
those of us who have been part of a political/religious tribe, yet feel our conscience being violated as we try to stay loyal to that space, while also being resistant to that space’s extremism and problematic rhetoric.
those that are part of a certain political affiliation by default (simply because our family/friends/communities identify that way) and we haven’t considered the merits of the opposition.
those of us who feel exploited by both political parties. we feel that our intensifying anxiety, depression, and isolation are being capitalized on for the financial and political gain of corrupt individuals. we feel that people see us as a source of income rather than a human and/or a vote rather than a voice.
those of us who find travel to be a beautiful, God-given form of education, one that can inspire thinking outside the box, profound appreciation of others, and a deepened sense of self rather than a rejection of one’s roots.
those of us who haven’t been given a chance to hold our party accountable or apologize on behalf of our party, without being called a traitor by our tribe.
the nomad. the person who wanders freely, not subscribing to the binary of the two political parties, the person who sees beauty and fault in both, refusing to be put in a box and brushed off as merely a democrat or republican.
the young man or woman who just wants a quiet retreat from life’s painful realities.
anyone willing to flex with me, think outside the box with me, reconsider their notions of Christianity, the political parties, and sexuality. anyone willing to hear me out, not pinning me (or any of my followers) to a title, respecting that human beings are complex and their genuine ideas can’t neatly fit in a box.
those who do not blindly follow a person, figure, or ideology, acknowledge that following something blindly quickly leads to corruption and injustice.
as you can see, you must be a deep thinker to participate honestly in this space. i will not give you all the answers, i will not explain what i believe is obvious, and i will not comment on everything that’s making a headline. This is a waste of time and results in echo chambers; the absence of originality. i believe in the intelligence and inner teacher of each audience member, and the free will you have to come to your own conclusions on such events. if i haven’t commented on something that’s making headlines, please assume i’ve arrived at a kneutral position, as i trust most decent Americans have too.
if any of this intrigues you, i encourage you to stay a while, click follow, and watch this space unfold in a thought-provoking way.
it’s likely that people are far better than we believe they are. in fact, people are inherently good and we seek what’s best for our society, which is why we have strongly held beliefs in the first place. let’s normalize changing our minds when given new information. let’s normalize listening to other perspectives, apologizing on behalf of our tribe, and holding our tribe accountable. let’s normalize calm rhetoric, thoughtful interactions, and having high, positive expectations for people, always being excited to learn from them, and never diminishing them to their vote or faith. normalize being outwardly neutral, calm, and respectful, while being inwardly passionate, thoughtful, and invested.
let’s normalize kneutrality.