When following the news I see the following: endless and repetitive reports of how each side of a certain topic is trying to convince the other of their position with self serving logic and who seems to win the argument.

When looking more carefully I see something else: marginal differences on the desired long term outcome (as our deeper needs as human beings are quite universal) but a great divide around the consequences fear of the short term measures necessary to get there. Feels not only like a waste of time but also as an ineffective way get our needs met: we all loose in the end.

Would our chance of getting there not significantly increase if we would skip this unfruitful dance and start the discussion with the realization that we aim for a similar outcome and that certain short term ‘pain’ is unavoidable? We then could focus our discussions on the best way to divide the pain and how to mitigate the effects by helping each other in the process. Instead of building and defending fake arguments to protect our own side.

The short term consequences are still there but the path to getting all our needs met will be shorter, with more space creative solutions, feel less lonely and much more wholesome.

By putting more emphasis on this perspective when reporting, the media could become part of the solution.