Article March 18, 2019 Issue

Step out of the echo chamber

Terese Reiter Messman

A version of this article was published in The Christian Science Monitor’s Christian Science Perspective column, December 20, 2018.

Recently I attended a “debate watch party.” The debaters were two candidates running for a national public office. When the debate began, it was clear from the applause and sighs that I was surrounded by like-minded people, those who supported my candidate over the other one. Although we all seemed to agree that our candidate won the debate, I was also aware from the post-debate discussion on local television that both sides felt they could claim that their candidate had been the winner.

It was a clear reminder that our country and many others are going through a time of polarization, with strong divisions between those with opposing viewpoints, even among families and friends. And times of intense political polarization often lead to a perception that those on the other side of the political fence are enemies. It can even lead people to think that the “other” is just plain evil. During such times our typical response might be to just “hide out” with our allies in what becomes an echo chamber of our own opinions and emotions.

Yet Christ Jesus provided a road map for how to treat others when he identified the two great commandments: Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. As a student of Christian Science, I frequently ask myself, “How can I follow Jesus by loving in this way, and thus see tangible healing in my life?”

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