The past week has been an exciting one in the news. I’m mostly assuming this of course seeing as I don’t particularly pay attention to the news. However, being an avid social media consumer, there’s no way to completely avoid the news.
Over the past few days, I have watched the various reactions to the passing of the Queen with fascination. Everything, from the people who claim to have no feelings about the event and still go on to write fifty eleven paragraphs about it, and then proceed to retweet every single person who has shared their epistle. To the ones who have expressed their hate for the late monarch and everything she stood for. To the ones who have tried to rewrite history to justify whatever emotions they might be feeling.
One thing I both love and hate about the age of social media is the exposure to a wide variety or ideas/opinions/concepts. I’ve witnessed so many discussions that I would probably never be exposed to in real life, and this is both good and bad but for now I’m focusing on the good.
The good is that being exposed to so many different ideas from people across the world gives me perspective beyond my own world view. Also gaining understanding of the fact that we all respond to things based on our own existing bias, previous experience, background, amongst other things, has been very helpful. I know now that I can experience the same event at the same time as another person and have totally different feedback at the end.
Where I once used to consider any choice I wouldn’t ordinarily make as stupid, I now remind myself that I have no idea what has informed people’s choices and actions, plus there’s also the fact that whatever it is, is probably not my business anyway so I can save my judgement for more pressing matters.
I have also chosen to extend this grace to myself by not apologising or trying to over explain my feelings/opinions/reactions. There’s nothing to gain in feigning excitement about things that not excite me, or downplaying the things that do excite me.
While we do not have to understand the reasons behind people’s actions/opinions/beliefs, as long as they’re not causing harm, the least we can do is accomodate them, amicably agree to disagree.
To this end, I am no longer as quick with my preemptive blocking. I don’t cancel people as quickly as I used to. I allow opinions I would never agree with to filter into my timeline. I follow debates and gain insights from all parties. And more importantly, I try not to hold onto any one opinion too dearly, nor do I aim to be right all the time. We are learning and things are changing every minute, I can feel many different ways about one thing just depending on where I am in my cycle.
Allow yourself to hear the other side.
This week I read/ am reading
Shopaholic ties the knot from Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. I picked this one up from a free library while on Holiday recently and it took me back to when all I read was this very fantastical chick lit type fiction. It was definitely very high on fantasy and I can’t imagine that consuming only this type of literature is healthy but I absolutely love me some chick lit and so I devoured this one and really enjoyed it too.
Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro - I generally add any book by a Nigerian author to my TBR list. Started this one as soon as it became available in my library. Still reading but liking it so far. Good writing.
This week I listened to
Two of my faves - James Clear and Brene Brown on this 2 part episode of the Dare to lead podcast. I loved how openly Brene was fangirling, and hearing James tell more about his life story.
I very nearly gave myself a well deserved birthday leave from the newsletter but I didn’t want to break my streak, so here I am, writing on a Monday night because I had to work on the Sunday night in order to recoup some of the cost of what was a very lavish and well deserved week of celebrating my birthday. Thankful for the blessing of another year. It’s not something I take for granted, hence the extensive celebrations. I’m still accepting gifts.
Here’s wishing you a week of accommodating alternative views, might learn one or two things in the process.
Chioma.