When was the last time you saw someone and thought “What is going on inside their head?” This common occurrence in day-to-day life happens with strangers and friends alike. In no way can one person fully understand another.
People are very complex and have different opinions based on personality and experience. No one can ever know all of the experiences that another person has had, nor can they know what is going on in another person’s head. Our brains are ill-equipped to handle all of the complexities of other people and even ourselves, so we often separate people into two or three groups, causing struggles and issues in our society.
When two strangers meet, so much information is instantly exchanged that people are not aware of most of it. People observe body language, body features, clothing, reactions, etc. and the brain analyzes all of this information within seconds, deciding whether or not they are compatible with this new person.
Many problems in our society exist today, and many of them stem from a lack of the ability to try to understand others or be accepting of others’ opinions. This is true whether the issue is worldwide or between two people.
When people misunderstand the problem, do not take into account all of the possible solutions, blindly follow what one person says, or completely dismiss people in a “me or them” mentality, disastrous events can happen. When people feel that everyone is divided they will grow to hate the other side, whatever that may be.
Numerous dictators and monarchs stayed in power for an extended period of time from division. They used propaganda to take advantage of this natural instinct that people have, but rather than separating people into men and women, they are being separated into good and bad purely based on their nationality, religion, or political affiliation.
This world has been destroyed by division. People lash out because there is no way for them to know what is actually going on in someone else’s head.
Our world is filled with binary separations: Democrat v. Republican, athletic v. non-athletic, allies v. opposition. These black and white ways of thinking are hurting everyone and until people learn to listen and understand one another there will always be needless conflict.
Kayla LeBeau
Kayla LeBeauis a first-year Secondary Education major with a concentration in English. She was the Arts and Entertainment editor at Montoursville Area High School for two years and has continued as the Arts and Entertainment editor on the Eagle Eye staff. Kayla has written a variety of articles for the Eagle Eye beyond Arts and Entertainment. She loves to read fantasy, adventure, and Sci-Fi novels, especially books by Brandon Sanderson and Sarah J. Maas.
