Two Sides to Every Story
The average human makes thirty-five thousand decisions a day. We do our best to make the best decision we can with the information that we have. But what happens when we make decisions before we have all of the information?
We live in a time where a lot of us feel uncertainty about the future. CRT, Trans rights, body autonomy, and immigration policy are just some of the things that people are making huge decisions about right now in the US. These are topics that a lot of citizens feel passionate about, but how many of us truly have all of the information we need in order to make an informed decision? Too often, we listen to friends and family, media or politicians to help influence our decisions instead of making sure that we have done our own adequate research. What if we truly tried to understand what it’s like to walk in the shoes of the very people whose lives are impacted by these decisions?
Our country is more divided than it has been that I can recall in my lifetime. How much of the division is created because we don’t understand the struggles of people who live different lives than we do? What if instead of jumping to conclusions and making snap decisions, we set aside our pride, and just listened?
The saying goes, “there are two sides to every story.” But are there? In a country where American Individualism is so prevalent, how do we move forward assuming that others are less nuanced? We can color with more than just black and white. We can navigate in more directions than just left and right. In order to move forward, we must stop thinking in binaries. People are complex. Perhaps it’s time to start listening to others with open minds, and consider that we might have blind spots.
My musical, “Curiouser,” explores how we make judgments about people without knowing the full person. How do we move forward when we are presented with new information? Do we dig in our heels and refuse to be swayed? Do we reevaluate our stance and determine if it’s the best stance we can take? If we refuse to grow and learn, how can we ever move forward?
