Getting through this holiday season together
December 17, 2021 — TEAM DARE TO BE GREY
Over the past two years, it may have felt like the world has been going a little crazy. With the ever-evolving virus and continuation of lockdowns across the world, we are facing another festive period that is slightly different from usual.
Especially this year, we have seen protests turn violent and toxic language or threats both on- and offline. This increase in polarisation, and a decrease in civic discourse, has many wondering how they will get through the holidays spent with family members they haven't seen in quite some time.
Here are some pointers on how to have difficult conversations with loved ones and start the new year off a little bit more Grey:
There is so much going on in the world that it is easy to get swept up by it. It’s quite natural to hold on to one solution when faced with a crisis, whether this solution is based on facts and logic or not. It’s very human to make mistakes, so rather steer people to a better pathway than punishing them for taking a wrong turn.
Try not to take social media too seriously. The things we see online are not necessarily a reflection of society or of people’s real lives. If you want to discuss current events, make sure not to use social media as a source. If we were to believe the comment sections on those platforms, the world would be a toxic and hateful place.
Take some time for inward reflection. Reflect on your words, both online as offline. How do you communicate? Are you still open for other opinions, or are you just broadcasting your own? When having difficult conversations, try to ask questions so you are able to get a better understanding of the other person’s view, whilst also helping to plant seeds of reflection in their own minds.
Your conversations are not debates. We are so used to watching conversations evolve into debates with people who believe they can win, or lose, that we sometimes forget dialogue is also an option.
Your conversation might not have gone well this time, but you can always try again next year! Change can take time, there is no need to destroy your relationship over one conversation.
Maybe it’s time to reconnect with people you grew apart from in another way. You can still maintain a relationship with family members who disagree on major points, by finding activities and topics of conversation that you do agree on and focusing on those instead.
This holiday season, just remember that we are all human and trying to find a way out of this crisis together. Treat each other with kindness, empathy and respect, as we navigate these dark times. This crisis will end, and we still have to find ways to live together afterwards. So why not start now?
With all the events that have occurred during the pandemic, many have gone further down the rabbit hole. For more tips on how to talk to conspiracy theorists, click here.
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