Reflecting on Fragmentation and Division
I think we can all see or sense a divide deepening between us as a whole. I can tell that we all feel the division happening, but also that many of us can’t fully decipher the tools being used to cause it. Some narratives stick out like a sore thumb to me personally. Part of me wonders why some of us don’t see it. Divisive rhetoric has taken over nearly every aspect of our lives. It’s seeped into our trusted sources of information, entertainment, even sources of spiritual guidance.
Given, just as all humans do, I have my blind spots. But I think my background created a sensitivity in this aspect. Growing up with a divisive, angry parent (who had literally read manuals on brainwashing) definitely had effects. My experience was full of my parent’s consistent use of whatever brainwashing techniques they could gather. I despised their rage. I despised navigating their spewings and “Us vs Them” hate fits.
The bright spot is that due to that, some part of me learned to notice and resist those things. I learned my own ways to preserve truths and my sanity. I became hyper aware in spotting shifts and manipulations.
I also learned as an adult that even with awareness, some things still slip through the cracks. Overall, a mindset of questioning can act as a filter for the information we receive. And even though some things can inevitably still get through to us, it’s much better than a lack of filtering altogether.
The Illusions of Polarity
Everything lately seems to be divvied up into polarized groups. Either/or is hyper present, with “this vs that” and “us vs them.”
These narratives make us focus on what makes us different. But rather than simply finding what makes us unique, we’re pressured to choose what “side” we align with. It becomes distortion, labeling others as right or wrong based on beliefs and narratives we’ve already accepted. This can be a dangerous game, and an illusion in itself.
I’ve seen systems become distorted versions of what they were intended to be. One example is church services I’ve seen that relatives regularly stream. Those church services tend to lack spiritual meaning. They focus instead on labeling the “other” in increasingly extreme and divisive ways.
One service specified that those who voted differently than them were in fact possessed by the devil. Those who had differing views on marriage or a multitude of other concepts? Also, indeed, working for the devil.
They worked down the list of those deemed as “other,” smirks on their faces as they condemned more than half the population. They got highly specific with their labels. It was exhausting to listen to.
Not once was there a message of their core religious teachings. Nor was there a semblance of hope, compassion, or love. The focus was on division, manipulation, and creating outrage. It was a game of telling their audience (in detail) who they should hate or fear.
The platforms of churches are meant to be a place of spiritual solace and guidance. People seek wisdom and truth in their spirituality and religion. There’s an inherent trust placed in spiritual leaders. Not all churches and religious communities exploit this trust, but the ones that do have gone to extremes.
Given, the rhetoric used in this sense is not exclusive to religion. These themes also apply to many other areas of our daily lives. Take these examples as a lens to examine rhetoric within multiple areas and what impacts they might have.
Mental Tools of Division
Cognitive Dissonance
When your own family and friends have been labeled as demonic, cognitive dissonance sets in. Among the plethora of devil-aligned specs, there were some things that applied to me. I asked those relatives if they thought –I– was possessed, evil, or working for the devil. To which their response was a definitive no, and even shock at the question itself.
Narratives can be broadly accepted when the “others” are strangers. When confronted with the reality of your teachings saying your loved ones are the devil, those accepted narratives might glitch, but still exist in the broad sense of “others.”
It’s like the frog in the pot of water metaphor. When the temperature is increased slowly enough, the frogs don’t notice the severity of the heat. They die in that boiling water, being unaware of the slowly building danger they’re in. This relates to another cognitive process that happens as well.
Familiarity
It’s easier to incorporate new beliefs when they use an existing part of our mental pathways. In this example, a religious service like church is a familiar thing to the brain. Church service is a part of some people’s deeply held values. When we receive new information from a trusted source, it’s connected with our existing mental pathways and familiarity. Rather than seeming like a new belief, it feels more like a natural extension of our pre-existing beliefs.
Neuroplasticity
In the area of bad churches and other longstanding familiar sources, older people are at an increased risk of manipulation. As we mature, our levels of neuroplasticity naturally decrease. This makes it a bit more difficult (but not impossible) to take in information from outside our existing frameworks. In acting through familiar mental pathways, exploitation is possible.
Typically, we tend not to question our own familiar and trusted sources. This allows those sources a way to insert their choice of new beliefs and ideas into our minds. They can even insert ideas that would’ve otherwise been rejected during someone’s younger years. There’s a lot of responsibility on the part of those familiar sources. A lot of responsibility that has been shirked, abused, and weaponized to harm us.
Emotional Manipulations
Fear and outrage
These manipulations (religious and otherwise) are often rooted in anger and fear. Playing on peoples uncomfortable emotions can be a powerful tool in divisive rhetoric. It’s also a convenient way to assign and divert blame for societal issues.
If you fear the other, you’re more likely to avoid them and work against them.
If you’re given reasons to hate or be angry at the other, you’re a hell of a lot less likely to try to understand them.
Darker, shadowy emotions used in this way builds walls and boundaries between us. We cannot see the whole of the “others” when we see only what separates us. And we cannot solve core issues when we accept the manipulations of those hellbent on dividing us.
We’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotional manipulation, projections, and illusions from sources operating in bad faith. And they just keep ramping up the speed, re-engineering the highs and lows, not allowing us to get off the ride and question what the hell has been happening.
Algorithmic loops
We can even see this in the algorithms that have been designed to keep us clicking, enraged, and doom scrolling, despite the known negative impacts on us.
We are not the priority, nor is our well-being. Our rage and fear is platform growth. Our presence and listening ears are paychecks. Division is, in fact, profitable. We all have been monetized, turned into numbers and engagement machines.
We’re being conned into hating each other through the pursuit of power and money, no matter the cost to humanity.
In the process, these things have made many of us forget the things we share and the humanity that exists within everyone.
We are all complex people, with differing levels of alignment across concepts. Most of us have a number of reasons and experiences behind our alignments. When we question what we’ve been fed, we can start to recognize the slop. When we strip ourselves of the narratives, we see that we all have a lot more in common than we realize.
Accepting Complexity
We’re all more complex than we likely recognize. As touched on earlier, our alignments and choices are likely influenced by multiple past experiences and established beliefs.
Forced either/or
For a small example, someone might be more cautious or mindful of where they bring their pets if they witnessed a past severe allergic reaction from a loved one with pet allergies.
Mindsets of polarity would want to choose a “side” on an example like this. Some “sides” might be within rights to take pets into public spaces, emotional support and service animal arguments. The opposite end could be demonization of those who take pets into public spaces, and claiming of a lack of consideration for people with allergies.
Considering perspectives
Let’s actually think about this. Is someone who takes a pet somewhere with them acting in malice toward those with allergies? Likely not. Someone who has never witnessed or experienced a severe allergic reaction isn’t likely to even consider that possibility.
Is someone who has an allergic reaction to pets trying to strip pet owners and those with service animals of their rights, or demonize them? Likely not. They’re probably just trying to avoid a severe allergic reaction.
Of course, this was a very minor example just for the purpose of stimulating thought. The personal experiences and beliefs we have shape us. These kinds of dynamics are behind larger scale divisions, from the clothes we wear to our stances on the most divisive and controversial topics.
The way to understanding is through moving past the lines of divide. Truly seeing “others” outside the lens of fear or anger, with openness and compassion.
Blurred Line Complexities
Creating controversy
A “controversial” example of complexity relates to the blurring of lines. This has been done to women’s reproductive issues in Texas.
There have been some instances where women experiencing miscarriage were denied critical lifesaving care. This has resulted in not only the loss of the pregnancy, but the loss of their own lives.
Given, not all are against abortion. Most of the US population actually supports abortion access. But regardless of one’s stance, it becomes clear that the topic has been oversimplified. Simplistic views neglect the complexity of reality. They create controversy in situations that should not be controversial.
The fact that women have suffered the loss of a wanted pregnancy is heartbreaking. But dying through that process makes some of these complexities painfully clear. Miscarriages are unintended, traumatic events that result in the loss of a pregnancy. The deaths of women facing it shows areas outside of the black and white lines we’re trained to see.
Reality
In those situations, is it right or wrong to facilitate the process, saving the life of the woman? Is it right or wrong to deny care, refusing to be the interfering hand that officially ends its potential life? Is a woman who has an abortion or a doctor that provides it “evil”?
Just as we found with the previous lighter example: our experiences, established beliefs, (and even demographics) paint our perceptions. But across those lines, we can see the complexities at play in reality. Many who oppose abortion would likely see the difficulties of a black and white stance in these cases.
Acknowledgement
The good news is that when we view things from the lens of complexity, we increase our understanding of the “others.” And the result of greater understanding is usually greater unity. We are not all as simple as the single- issues that serve to separate us, nor are our decisions.
We can rise from the divisions we’ve been manipulated to live by. We have the potential to come together with empathy and compassion. We can love the “other” who believes something different than us, and we can understand why they believe it. We can empathize with the “other” who faced different circumstances and made different decisions. If we work together to break free of the walls that divide us, we can create amazing foundations that uplift and unite us in understanding.
Healing the Fractures
I’ll go ahead and say that I don’t have the perfect answers to these problems, but I do have some ideas. We’re collectively in need of deep healing. There are also needed changes that go way beyond our individual capabilities. Though we can’t immediately crush the systems that divide us, there are things we can have in our toolbox.
Questioning
Firstly, we can question our sources and the narratives we’re listening to. We might take a moment to step back from the voices that have taken over our daily lives. Moments when we notice increased fear and anger are prime times for stepping back and reflecting. What’s causing the intense emotions within us? Are they related to our group identities and the “others” in our perception?
Even moments when we feel more righteous and look down on the “others” we perceive can offer us clues to these manipulations. These moments can be harder for us to recognize, because they reinforce our existing sense of morals, values, and identity.
One thing that can be helpful is to to question the goal or motivation behind the source. Though it’s not always clear, when there’s a strong divisive stance there is likely a hidden or apparent motivation by those inciting it. Does it relate to power? Control? Monetary gain? Or something else?
Autonomy
We can also take back some of our control and mental autonomy online. We can limit our engagement with the platforms and algorithms that use –us– as their product rather than treating us as the consumer.
When we use platforms more mindfully, avoid falling into doom scrolling and rage bait traps, we reduce the effectiveness of that rhetoric. It can be overwhelming, as so much manipulation is done online.
I recognize that it’s not realistic for most of us to completely remove our social media presence. Instead, we could in theory start a shift that makes division less profitable there. So I suggest we change the system by using the same measurements they build it on.
Pausing, questioning, and restraining reactionary knee jerk engagement could potentially reprogram what the platforms deem profitable. In turn, the fear mongering and hateful rhetoric would no longer feed their pockets. We can prioritize our own sanity, and force them to adjust and follow suit.
Broadening perspective
When it comes to ourselves and others, we can work to peel back the divisive layers placed on us and reevaluate them. Divisive group dynamics have intertwined with our sense of identity. It’s healthy for us to examine and adjust those things. After all, growth and change is like a measurement of life force. Why not grow in our perception?
We can do thought exercises aimed at understanding what the “other” truth might be. We can imagine situation from the opposite perspective. Consciously putting yourself in someone else’s shoes helps disrupt division. And it’s even more powerful when we truly listen to outside voices with the goal of understanding.
There are two things that will take us far with this. Curiosity will help us understand the real complexities of life. Compassion will help us understand “others” in a more whole way. They also improve the ways we communicate our own beliefs and decisions, and how we receive the same from others. Differences will always be present in life, but they don’t have to be divisive. They can be harmonious.