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*Editor’s Note: Elephant Journal articles represent the personal views of the authors, and can not possibly reflect Elephant Journal as a whole. Disagree with an Op-Ed or opinion? We’re happy to share your experience here.

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The last few weeks have been an interesting display of both cognitive bias and cognitive dissonance.

It’s shown us people who are passionate about their beliefs. It’s shown us the ugliness of political rhetoric. It’s shown us an outpouring of grief for the loss of one man’s life, disproportionate to all the other lives lost.

It’s shown us that religion is underpinning the political landscape far too heavily. It’s shown us people are angry. It’s shown us people are hateful. It’s showing us that hate and violence do actually beget more hate and violence. It’s showing us a country in crisis and that has rippling affects all around the world.

And every day, it shows us some people cannot even entertain another perspective, so righteous in their beliefs that they would rather hurl abuse, cut people off, personally attack them, or straight-out threaten them.

Disagreeing with someone is part of life; it’s how we learn tolerance, understanding, open-mindedness, kindness, and communication skills. Abusing someone who doesn’t hold the same beliefs as you is a reflection of a lack of emotional intelligence.

Throughout time, people have fought and killed each other over differing religious beliefs. The cognitive dissonance here is astounding. Preaching the word of God, Jesus, Christ, or whomever you worship, and then spreading hate, abusing others, bullying, and rejecting those who don’t share your beliefs is not only hypocritical but goes against everything religion is supposed to stand for. Holding a religious belief and then behaving in a contradictory way to what those religious beliefs and values stand for is the new politics. Quoting a bible verse whilst simultaneously wishing someone harm, personally attacking them, and showing the worst side of humanity, repeatedly, exposes the lack of any actual empathy, compassion, kindness, and understanding. All the things that are the supposedly the basis of religion.

Here’s another staggering display of cognitive dissonance. Pro-life. Here we have a belief that abortion is murder, and for many, they believe there is no valid reason for abortion. Yet many of these same people believe in their right to carry a gun! Guns that kill children in schools every year. But “thoughts and prayers.” There’s also growing numbers of kids in foster care or abusive homes, who these same people do not seem so passionate about saving. So we want babies to be born into a world where they may not be wanted, treated with love, or cared for, or who may go to school and get murdered, and nobody vehemently spruiking the pro-life narrative is anywhere to be seen? Again, the hypocrisy is wild.

It used to be said that politics and religion should never be discussed because they are polarising. They certainly should never be mixed. They break up families and friendships. And as we can now see on the world stage, they have caused significant issues in the United States. It’s so obvious to me that this is the plan. They want to cause division. They want to cause conflict. They want a war between “left and right.” They want people fighting over religion. They want people hating and blaming minority groups for everything because it takes the heat off what’s really going on. Because with all this chaos and distraction, the important stuff is being ignored. A country in absolute shambles and the people are so busy arguing and hating on one another, they don’t even see how far they’ve fallen. They don’t even see the mess they are in.

MAGA: Make America Great Again. The catchcry for all those angry and disenfranchised. All those desperately hanging on to the misguided belief that blaming everyone on the other side of the political fence is going to somehow fix the clusterf*ck. Blaming minority groups. Blaming the lack of religious conviction of some. Blaming feminism. Blaming. Blaming. Blaming. And it starts from the top because the leader and chief is divisive. He preys on the vulnerable. He feeds the anger and fuels the hatred. And round and round you go.

Yes, it’s certainly been a heightened couple of weeks. I have never seen the term “it’s been taken out of context” used so many times. The reality is, it doesn’t matter what the context, those who follow that rhetoric are never going to be able to see a different perspective. I’ve seen shortened versions of quotes used and a lot of anger about context, but honestly, the full quote hasn’t made for better “context.” If the words that someone spreads always needs to be put into “context” perhaps the speaker needs to change the words they use.

We are all human and as humans we make mistakes. Nobody is perfect and following any religion is a personal choice, and it certainly does not make you a better person because you can quote a bible verse or speak of scriptures. Following a particular political party doesn’t make you more superior to those that follow a different party. What makes someone a good person is their empathy. Their compassion. Their kindness. Their tolerance of those who are different from them. Their ability to be open-minded and see a different perspective. The ability to be able to stand back with discernment and not just blindly follow. Self-awareness and self-reflection. These are the things that make us better people and a better society.

Aren’t you all tired of the fighting and the hate? Isn’t it exhausting constantly finger pointing and blaming. Aren’t you worried that this division is going to destroy you and your country? Don’t you find it frightening that one man could incite such a reaction and division in death? This is on the world stage and we are looking on dismayed. We are looking on perplexed. We are saddened that all those children shot in your schools were not mourned like this. We are watching “the leader of the free world” slowly dismantle everything freedom stands for. We are watching him sell his hate to you like candy to kids, and it’s terrifying.

You all need to put your political opinions and religious beliefs aside and learn some acceptance. You need to fight for religion and politics to remain separate. You need to start focusing on being better humans regardless of personal beliefs because if you don’t, there will be nothing left to fight for.

“When politics and religion are intermingled, a people is suffused with a sense of invulnerability and gathering speed in their forward charge, they fail to see the cliff ahead of them.” ~ Frank Herbert

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