Sick of Echo Chambers

Let me start off by saying I don't want to write about politics on here because I interact with politics in every other space I'm involved in. I got into politics in middle school, primarily because I felt the United States government was overstepping its authority. It had nothing to do with what I wanted, simply that I cared about truth and felt truth cannot prevail in a system where criminals are in charge. Honestly I hate politics and wish I could have nothing to do with it. For awhile it felt like I was the only one worrying about the state of the United States, even my parents would tell me the things I was worried about couldn't happen here (sadly, the last 12 years has proven that wrong). Now that something is obviously wrong, it seems everyone is obsessed with politics. However, mainstream news and social media have taken advantage of this. Now everyone is in an echo chamber, making everyone believe they could save the world if only their side was in charge or they were crowned king.

An echo chamber is an ecosystem in which individuals only hear opinions that reinforce their existing beliefs. This makes people narcissistic, and is pretty much why power and fame corrupt. Having the reassurance of one person is enough encouragement, but being able to seek reassurance from thousands of sources without having to hear criticism is a high at one point only a dictator could experience. I've had close friends accuse me of horrendous things after finding out my beliefs. I'm constantly worried that if I make a new friends, they'll leave that way too. I use to tell myself, "that means they weren't a true friend to begin with." But at this point I know this goes deeper than friendship. Most people can't even meet their family without having some kind of political debate. Nothing is ever settled because each side will only ever trust their echo chamber with the facts.

All I ever wanted was a functioning form of government so that we all can stop worrying about elections and start enjoying life again. I think that's what most people want, but we're too caught up in our own bubbles to take a step outside the war of "us vs them." If nobody on the left or the right is reaching out and asking, "why can't we be friends?" Then how can either side expect anything to get better? Maybe it's that most people don't believe it can get better. The older generations don't care if the world ends, and the younger generations are convinced the world ending is inevitable. For some reason I cannot accept this. People thought the same thing during the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation, WWII, ect. I'm not afraid of the world ending, but it seems clear to me that we have no idea when that will be. I honestly believe with all my heart we can still make this world a better place, and it doesn't all depend on who's sitting in Washington DC.