We live in an age of endless, foaming outrage. The only answer is to try to feel empathy for other people, no matter who they are.
Source: Amanda Palmer: Playing the Hitler Card
I came across this while reading an interview with Neil Gaiman and another author. Very interesting what they had to say regarding the pigeonholing of written works into genres. That said, I had to read something his wife wrote when I noticed it in the sidebar.
It was the title that drew me. Anyone that has spent more than five minutes browsing “discussions” on the Internet has likely encountered Godwin’s Law, usually to their annoyance. I was curious to see what she had written. As it turns out, she wrote quite a bit, and most of not about Hitler. What I like about her piece is she has very articulately described what I have thought and felt for many, many years. In sharing her frustrations, she has mirrored my own. I love the Internet, I enjoy reading people’s thoughts and following their discussions. I abhor the general absolutism, lack empathy and understanding or any position but their own. Of course, that was happening long before the Internet, but as this is my time, I get to rail against its current incarnations and the detrimental effect it has on human relations. 🙂 I do not believe the world is a worse place than it was in the past. As an optimist, a humanist and a passionate promoter of a positive future, I believe we are doing better in many facets of human life than we have in the past. That said, I am firmly convinced that the world can use more introspection and empathy; that we should confront uncomfortable truths head on and hopefully gain a better understanding of ourselves and others, even if that means we take the time to understand why Hitler made the choices that he did.
