Shame on the Shamers

Shaming doesn’t get us anywhere.

That’s what we tell children, yet as adults we don’t play by the same rules.

Worse still, we shame through our fingertips – not our voices – tapping out one letter at a time in private, safely tucked away from the impact of our shaming.

Where do we learn these lessons? From our “leaders” of course.

Half the clips on the web are one head shaming another or a roundtable of shamers shaming other shamers, entire shows dedicated to pointing out where the other is wrong, instead of figuring out one’s own damn story.

Our leaders don’t deserve our applause. They have forgotten the rules of the playground and they’ve all become bullies. All of them (not only the ones you hate). Just because they have microphones and suits and bellowing voices doesn’t make them worth following. One can be charismatic and still be lost.

Let’s look somewhere else. Let’s look to each other, down below the shouting voices coming in from both sides. Let’s set a better example. Let’s love louder than a fist pounding a podium. Let’s stand taller than the hammers coming down.

It’s fine to disagree, it’s important to point out mistakes, and it’s okay to be wrong. Being wrong leads to questions, which illuminate the best way to move forward with the most amount of people.

Maybe more people would be willing to be wrong if fewer people pointed their arrows at them when they spoke. And instead held out a hand.