Dear Subscriber,
I am so tempted to pull the plug on social media – increasingly it feels like sound and fury, signifying nothing. Nothing, that is, more than outrage.
What started over a decade ago as a place for friends to connect or to show glimpses of personal life has seemingly become an arena for shouting, with very little listening and scarce constructive dialogue.
Of course, that is a reflection of our society in general: Polarized politically, isolated and manipulated by technology, riven with anger and despair. We react, rather than respond, stepping on one another to have the satisfaction of hearing our own opinion.
That’s why I was struck by a letter I received from reader Helen Pentz, who lives near Grand Rapids. Helen is 98 and has some frustrations with politicians, and she passed the letter along to her son, Dale Hotelling. He had seen my column asking readers to share issues they care about, and he was moved to forward her thoughts to me.
“As I get older, I find it’s harder to understand people who talk very fast,” she wrote. “The words begin to blend together, and it is hard to understand what is being said. I tell people that I hear ‘more slowly’ now than I used to. I find that other people have the same problem.”
Yes, Helen, and not just for age-related reasons. Helen’s not on social media, but she wants what I want – people to slow down and communicate ideas in a way that allows the substance to come through.
I was struck by Helen’s simple wisdom, and also by her continued interest in staying politically aware and active for as long as she has. So, I joined Dale and visited her at her living center recently.
Helen’s mindset was formed when she was young. She hasn’t missed an election since she became legally able to vote at 21; in her first presidential election, she cast a ballot for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“I took civics in high school, and the teacher said we should not only vote, but that we should know what we are voting for. You need to pay attention, and make up your own mind,” she said.
Helen’s husband ran a print shop in Grand Rapids that made signs and stickers for candidates of both political parties, so he was careful not to profess his own leanings, and was open-minded about working with everyone, she said.
Similarly, she learned to listen to other perspectives, and said she has voted for Republicans and Democrats on their merits over the many elections in her lifetime.
Helen has lived through the Depression, World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam and the tumult of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Watergate and on up to 9/11 and the subsequent wars in the Middle East.
So, I asked: You’ve seen it all; what era was the worst?
“Oh, it’s pretty bad now.”
Hard to disagree, Helen. I’d say it’s up to us to do our part to make it better. And we could do worse than to take your advice – give some thought to what we believe, talk slower, and listen before making up our minds. |
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Sincerely,
John Hiner
Vice President of Content for MLive Media Group
Share your thoughts with him at editor@mlive.com |
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