Where Do We Go From Here?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

This past week, all I’ve seen online is talk about the election results and how people are feeling. I’ve said many times that I follow and have friends on both sides of the political spectrum, so I’m seeing things from both sides—those who are rejoicing in the victory and those who are grieving and angry at the results. 

Of course, because of the results, I had many thoughts and feelings of my own, and I wanted time to gather them before I said anything in my newsletter. And then I thought, would it even be worth sharing my thoughts? Funny enough, my newsletter is called “Into My Thoughts,” but with so many people sharing their opinions, I feel that my thoughts don’t matter. 

If you follow me on Threads, you know that I’ve shared some thoughts there and responded to others' posts about the election, even blocking one person. But two things I’m seeing come up from both sides: we genuinely live in echo chambers. 

Here is a post I shared on Facebook last week: 

Seeing comments, posts, memes, and all the talks going on through all these social media platforms from both sides, people really do live in echo chambers. Obviously, it's people's comfort zone; that is human nature. But I believe we've gotten to a point where everyone's beliefs need to be challenged in a healthy way, not automatically going into defense mode to defend their side.

I've written an article before about how everyone's perspective is their own reality, so believe it or not, people are living different realities than you, whether good or bad. That means we would need to be intentional about seeking to understand someone else's perspective, which I tend to do a lot. I'm always interested in hearing and learning about the other side of things, but I guess that's my own curiosity about how people think and operate.

There's no doubt that the recent elections have caused more divide, and there's MANY factors that come into play. But one thing to keep in mind is that people have the right to choose who they will allow or not allow into their space. Whether that's online or not. Regardless of how they voted, you're not entitled to anyone's friendship or relationship. So respect people's decisions if they decide they no longer want to associate themselves with you. Because, at this point, it's much deeper than politics.

One side is commonly posting that they don’t want to associate with someone who voted opposite of them, and the other side says they can be friends with whoever regardless of who they voted for and that people should be friends with others who have different beliefs. And yes, I’m all for that—but there’s always an exception. 

I say I’m all for that because, as I said, I follow accounts from the left, right, and independents; I have friends who voted for Trump, I have friends who voted for Harris, I have friends who voted third party, and I have friends who decided not to vote at all. And I truly believe God has put everyone in my life for a reason. Some accounts that aren’t my “friends” that I follow with opposing views it’s me being intentional about being well-versed in the political world and trying to understand people from both sides. And because I’ve been so intentional about not viewing things from one side, I’ve come to accept that fact, a long time ago, that this country will not be united because of how vastly different we see and experience life in the United States of America. I posted on Threads this past week that White America and Black and America are NOT the same. And it truly feels like we are more divided than ever. 

And to expand on how vastly different we see things a little - if you’ve been here for a while, you know that I’m active in the immigration community - of course, I stay up to date on all things immigration, especially on the news. So, when there is a breaking news story about immigration, I read articles from the left, the right, and the middle, and it’s mindblowing how differently each article is written about the same situation. Try it - one day, your mind will be blown as well. 

So, where do we go from here? Honestly, I’m not sure. And that’s okay. Too many complex factors came into play with this year’s elections and where we stand as a country today. Many people feel exhausted from explaining and educating others about their experiences in this country. Others are tired of being gaslit and feeling dismissed about their genuine feelings of fear and hopelessness. While others enjoy their comfort. And we know it’s not a fair and just world. But we are here for a reason and a purpose, and once we are ready, we must continue to fight the good fight. 

With Love, Heidy

P.S. I understand if you feel the need to unsubscribe to this newsletter, I respect your decision, if you’re still here, thank you! I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!

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