Music to My Ears

 Do you ever wonder if anybody listens anymore?

The current scourge of listening impairment is built upon decades long ear-plugging. Maybe it was the infuriating 'Talk to the hand 'cause the ears ain't listening,' or the equally dismissive 'Oh, no you di-n't' that started this blooming mess of social deafness. In any case, we can certainly quote an oft overlooked movie Cool Hand Luke:

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."

In a world that has ceaseless avenues of communication, from analog letter writing to digital forms of modern day social media, we fail to communicate the right things. Certainly, our digital words speak a thousand pictures, but almost always they are meant to intimidate, pressure and demonize. Take, for instance, the story of Leigh Sales, a journalist for the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) who regularly takes to task politicians keeping them honest. Here is what she said about the current culture of social media:

 "It is that the bullying and harassment now comes, not in an occasional phone call from a real person, but at a furious pace on social media from politicians' acolytes, lackeys, fans and proxies, mostly — but not always — operating anonymously. It is non-stop, personal, often vile, frequently unhinged and regularly based on fabrications. It has the effect of an angry phone call from a politician magnified thousands of times over."

( Bullying on Twitter has become unhinged. It's time to call out the personal, sexist attacks - ABC News)

Notice the 'vile, unhinged' part. Has anyone noticed how this has become the norm, not the outlier? Some would chalk this up to people who 'can't take a joke,' or 'this is part of your job, deal with it.' But harassment on this level serves no purpose other than to destroy the very thing that makes humanity human - communication. Over the last years, people have stopped talking to each other, they've stopped reasoning with each other, they've stopped caring for each other for fear that somewhere and somehow, their good intentions will be transformed into duplicitous aims. And why? 

To build a platform. Lord, I almost loathe that phrase now. And the irony is, I'm using a Blogger 'platform' to generate an idea that hopefully will help in the dark night of someone's digital misery. 

Whatever happened to the delight of something like Ephesians 4:29... 

No foul language should come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. (Christian Standard Bible)

Now I know that many people view the Bible as antiquated and out of date with our current realities, but to speak well of others interpreting the things that they do in the best possible light? This is good and helpful stuff. 

Here is a miracle that I would love to see happen: Social media transformed from a platform of self-aggrandizement and political warfare, to a celebration of life together and an interpretation of others' acts in the best possible light. Still, of course, calling out injustice (but seen through the lens of communal good, not personal interpretation), so that this world can inch towards a more beautiful place for everyone. 

How about that for communication?