I'm not sure I like it here any more.

[Marthe48]

117. I have Jewish friends, I have Palestinian friends

I know how my friends feel about the situation. I haven't and I'm not going to discuss the events in the Middle east, out of respect for the people who are much closer to the countries that are once again torn apart by violence.

Someone posted on DU that we should be against war, and I saw at least one sarcastic reply about the post. I've always been against war. I'm also against the grinding anxiety every human who watches news feels every single day because of the ceaseless threats, aggressive action by one faction of humans against another, and the death that is preventable, if only humans would share what we have and what we need. But it isn't like that and it won't be like that.

I am a member of DU, and plan to remain a member. To make it a pleasant experience, I have a few guidelines I follow. If I don't like a post, I'll scroll on by. If I don't agree with a post, I don't feel the need to reply. I'm here for a shared experience with a like-mined group of people, why argue over things we're basically in agreement with? Finally, if I am not informed about a post, I try to get more information in case I do decide to reply.

The other day, there was a terrible accident on The Rainbow Bridge. I made a comment right after the news broke, that in case it was an act of terrorism, thankful that the border patrol was alert. Updates revealed that it was an accident, not terrorism. I had the insight that like every other event not in my immediate view, I don't know what's going on, and until I do, I'll wait to comment.

I do think that what we see on the news is manipulated, either the raw information, or the way it is presented to us as news. To stay sane, I think of weather reports. If the weather reporter says the sky is blue, that is a fact. If the weather reporter says that it might rain later, that is speculation. I keep that in mind as I see, hear or read news, and that helps me avoid presenting my opinion as a fact, or taking someone's post as a fact, not an opinion. We are all entitled to an opinion, and even if we don't agree, we should do our best to respect an opinion. Knowing that people are dying in horrible ways as we write posts doesn't make easy to refrain from blasting others, but as we watch the new horrors in the world unfold, let's all try to remember, we are on the side that is trying to improve the relations between people, even when the people hate each others' very existence.