April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERSPECTIVE
What I really want to say
Then I realized I could express myself in two words: "Thank you."
I did not realize how fortunate I was to have those people in my life until I heard people discussing the aftermath of the election. One man told me that not a single one of his Facebook friends disagreed with his political posts. A woman told me that, if anyone posted something on social media that was critical of the candidate she supported, she would block the person so she would not have to see any more of his or her posts.
I will admit that I did not enjoy being challenged. However, having to back up my statements helped me focus my attention on the details of a particular issue. I actually became more knowledgeable about those matters. Furthermore, knowing that I would be challenged by others made me extra-careful about what I said and wrote.
This went both ways. I did not hesitate to question things I believed to be false. Some people, I challenged often; yet, to my knowledge, not one of them blocked me. For that, I also am grateful.
I have found that, with family and friends, the people with whom I disagree most, it is helpful to remind ourselves that the things that bind us together -- such as blood, love and history -- are stronger than what pulls us apart. But that's only true if we focus what really is important.
The most challenging part of this election was the proliferation of fake news stories and the people who posted them online without checking to see if they were true.
Such posts helped me stay in touch with the types of stories that were leading some people to attack political opponents with a vehement hatred. Still, I still cannot understand why people fall for these stories and share them with others when fact-checking is easy to do: Go to any search engine and type, "Did [Candidate A] do [X]?" Visit such sites as www.factcheck.org or www.politifact.com.
As a deacon, what concerns me most about the proliferation of fake news stories is that sharing them is a sin. During the summer, I wrote a post about this on my "Faith in the Public Square" blog http://blog.timesunion.com/faithinthepublicsquare). I noted that we are guilty of the sin of calumny when, by remarks contrary to the truth, we harm the reputation of others and give occasion for false judgments concerning them.
The Catechism notes: "Whereas the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others, the deliberate intention of leading a neighbor into error by saying things contrary to the truth constitutes a failure in justice and charity."
As the new president begins his administration, I look forward to sharing ideas with people of all political opinions, and I pray that we will listen to each other in a spirit of respect and candor, always open to correction when needed.
(Deacon Ayres is director of Catholic Charities' Commission on Peace and Justice for the Albany Diocese.)[[In-content Ad]]
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