In any given city at this current time in our lives, you will find people ready to fight – verbally and/or physically – over their beliefs that they are right when it comes to a smorgasbord of items. Religion, science, and what you may believe to be the truth about any given category is up for grabs – people share screenshots of what they find online and profess it to be their sole reason for taking up the fight against vaccines, masks, refugees, and overall human decency. There are legitimate talks in certain parts of the country of having towns on state lines “identifying” with the next state over – because they can’t stand the tax rates and policies in the state they are currently affiliated with. If we didn’t have a bunch of keyboard warriors as citizens in 2021, there could be a legit civil war that breaks out in the US (and there is no denying that everyone is going to avoid battle with Texas – the amount of ammo stored in that state is enough to overtake the rest of the country).

Let us get one thing straight – you are no better than the person next to you just because the beliefs you express may give you the courage to think that. Your simple Google search for stats does not give you the ability to “take down” someone who has studied that subject their entire lives on an online platform. Your failure to pay attention in class or church does not give you the right to claim expert status just because “I was raised in that church” or “I took that class freshman year” – get over yourselves and your false claims to credibility.

Right now, everyone in this world is struggling with something (whether they openly admit it or not). For me, I’m struggling to maintain sanity when I am bombarded day in and day out with people’s opinions that are hurtful, illogical, and just plain foolish to be sharing in public. It reaches the point where depression and anxiety look at each other and wonder how much more creative they could get than the circumstances we find ourselves in.

If you think this post might be in reply to something you said or did… it probably is. Now, more than ever, is the need for careful self-examination when it comes to how we process the information we receive – and especially when it comes to how we turn around and share said information. This is not merely about religious or scientific debates, but across all subject matters that the media zooms in on with the hope of getting us frustrated with each other.

If you think this is Ben trying to sit on a high horse, please seek help. I am simply sick and tired of people posting stories for the purpose of getting others riled up because “THIS SITE SAID MASKS ARE USELESS” and “NOBODY IS GONNA MAKE ME CARRY A FORM OF ID TO GET SOMEWHERE” – take a Xanax and understand that all of us are trying to figure this out together. Not a single soul wanted anything about the pandemic to last more than a few weeks, yet here we are nearly back to square one across the GLOBE. You are all amazing people – don’t let temporary flareups get in the way of that shine.