Strong feelings...

I've written before about the Now Discover Your Strengths book and quiz. And I've given my top 5 strengths here. And lately I've been reminding myself over and over about them.

Not just what mine are but that if they aren't yours you won't react to things the way I do.

The top two for me right now are Empathy and Connectedness. Why is it I can see where someone is coming from and why that's a big deal for all of us and others cannot? I had an argument discussion with a friend of a friend the other day about what was happening in Baltimore and they kept trying to come around to their own point. Which didn't match what the article linked (the fact that I read it before commenting actually is part of my Input strength as well, come to think of it). He wanted to make his point and everything else be dammed. Which was incredibly frustrating all around; but the clear lack of empathy for someone else's situation, and the ability to understand that if there is a problem it's not their problem, it's our problem, was truly frustrating to me.

He's not strong in Empathy or Connectedness. And because I am I cannot be any other way.

I see it all the time in political pissing matches discussions. People just want to make their points and never really consider what is actually being said. Or why people might feel differently than they do. Or, god forbid, that they might actually be wrong. Which means the next few years will be so frustrating for me.

Because Input.

I cannot just log off and not look. It's almost impossible for me to ignore the comments on an article. I just want to know what people think and why do they think that way, and what is their motivation? And...yeah. It's frustrating. Because often they don't know why they think what they think. Not really. They are repeating a talking point. There is no man behind the curtain. It's insane to me that they have no clue what they are really talking about. Where is their need for INPUT?

So when all you want is to try and make people understand that we are all in this together, that they should try to understand a point of view that is different from them, and they just won't? What do you do?

When all people are interested in are their pre-fed talking points?

When open discussion is a rarity?

When respect for a difference in opinion is gone?

When instead of philosophical differences we have all out disdain and contempt?

When a lack of empathy is considered a strength and ignorance is truly bliss?

How do you cope with that?

I guess I will see.

Five hundred and fifty four days until the 2016 presidential elections...I wish us all luck.