bits of information we eagerly assemble point to nothing . Our assemblages are mere suppositions .
Disagreements based on actual differences rather than suppositions may be unpleasant ; nevertheless , they can be productive . The best kind of politics makes disagreements plain to citizens , asking the citizens to choose a path forward . Our institutions must change over time , and the direction of their change should be open to public debate . Social groups have differing needs , and the needs of one group may interfere with the needs of another . In such situations , explanations , negotiations , and eventual compromises move things toward better cooperation . By contrast , disagreements based on fabricated information offer little besides growing recriminations and resentments . Actual disagreements may help ; disagreements based on misinformation usually harm .
Misinformation pops up on all sides in our politics these days , dividing us against each other , undermining trust in our institutions , and targeting groups in our society . Instead of participating in divisiveness , consider listening to voices that remind us of our deep connections to our fellow citizens and our responsibilities toward our neighbours . After all , each of us is no more and no less than one node in a vast web of relationships and connections , something that George Eliot devoted her nineteenthcentury novel Middlemarch to describing . And as the historian Timothy Snyder argues in On Freedom , it is not our freedom to do what we want but the way each of us is nurtured by this very web of relationships , connections , and institutions that helps us thrive . In other words , don ’ t connect dots ; connect people .
Lloyd Den Boer is a retired educator , living with his wife Audrey in Edmonton . Aware of the allure of misinformation and divisiveness , he looks for voices that recommend doing justice , loving mercy , and walking humbly .
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