On Sunday morning, two situations, at opposite ends of the spectrum, occurred that made me reflect on where we are as a country, and a society-at-large.
First, I was engaged in an amazing Twitter chat about focusing on “real” learning. Conversation spoke to the need to make sure we make decisions with learners, and with learners always in mind. This idea that we need to put the people first isn’t necessarily a new one, but it is an important one. Our decisions must always be made for and with others.
After the chat ended, I sat down to read the paper, and my mind was drawn back to the protests in Charlottesville, protests that led to continued hatred and violence. While we always want to honor the perspectives of others, we should do everything in our power to prevent perspectives based on hate from having any place in our society.
Generally, I’m a pacifist, and someone who believes in the sanctity of all life. That said, I understand and value the fact that not everyone feels that way. Our society was, and is, built on the fact that differences in thought are important, and they make us stronger, rather than weaker.
The idea is we need to support people, but not hatred. As I’ve written about before, I recognize that we all have biases that exist, but I also understand that we can work with our biases to make sure that we truly support everyone. This morning showed me one example of why this is even more important now, than ever before in my lifetime.