Wokeness & Mental Health.... Has It Gone To Far?

Back in my day being woke meant you were progressive, tolerant and aware of cultural issues and problems but just like the journey of Feminism wokeness has come under a lot of criticism with people claiming being work has changed into something more sinister.

History gives a vivid tale of how the human ego started wars, oppressed individuals, and even endangered 'the defenseless' because of a sense of superiority conferred by a status..... It was easy to judge from a lofty position.... easy to discriminate when you don't share others beliefs and easy to believe that these beliefs were more important than others' freedoms and liberty.

Over the past five years, there has been a new movement identified as 'woke'..... youths across the globe and in all spheres have become aware of this painful history and are fighting against it. The 'woke movement' is a group of people who are aware of the racial and social injustices plaguing the globe and intend to put an end to these injustices..... Protests against these discriminations and marginalization have been organized across the continents..... From Africa to North America, there has been a clamor for equality and respect for individuals in groups different from the status quo and what we are comfortable with.

However, new movements like this tend to be taken to the extreme, and we now have two extremes: the discriminators and the woke.

Each has a "right opinion", but does not give the right expressions. The woke in a quest to correct the 'unwoke' have taken somewhat extreme correction methods.

This occurs when those that aren't woke are called out or canceled. This cancelling occurs mostly on social media where the unwoke are called out or criticized for what he/she said or did, and people who have taken offense, respond negatively.

Balance has always been a key ingredient in the affairs of life and it is not an exception in this scenario..... Corrections have never been seen as bad, but it's the way the correction takes place that is important. When correcting an individual about a notion, let us remember the bigger picture.... which is deep down..... we are all the same...... We love, we laugh, we cry, we bleed, and we all want to be recognized for something good.

That's the bigger picture, the common things we all share. So, before giving that sharp comment, before "putting them in their place", remember that you could also find yourself in such a place. Would you want a sharp set down or a correction that shows you where you have erred?

A backlash of wokeness is the restriction of speech which is against our fundamental human rights. The fear of canceling can prevent individuals from saying valid doubts about an opinion.

A progressive society is one where everyone can freely speak, and their voices are genuinely heard, not shunned. When an individual behaves in a bad manner, correct the bad behavior and not the person.

It's difficult not to side with "wokeness" as it fundamentally strives for acceptance, understanding and tolerance of others which is everything I stand for but I also understand that this can be taken too far by some who seem to search out things to be offended by.

So my thoughts are 2 fold..... not only must we be aware of how our behavior can hurt others and strive to be more tolerate and understanding of others but we also must toughen up a little..... Life can be hard a lot of the times and we can't scream blue murder everytime we get offended because in order to develop we must risk the chance of offending others and being offended by others.

Until next time x