It’s spring. Let the sniffling, headaches, and watery eyes commence!
I am a seasonal allergy sufferer and have been reading that many allergies are our immune system’s way to deal with boredom. We disinfect, immunize and otherwise sterilize the world around us and our bodies are left with nothing to fight.
So they start fighting our own bodies. Or grass. Or cat fur.
Kind of made me think of some things I see on Facebook.Harmless, and even pleasant, components of the world around are seen as enemies and attacked by our immune systems.
We attack our brothers and sisters over the most ridiculous things. We aren’t afraid to single out and belittle someone for thinking differently. We see any disagreement as a threat to our well-being.
Are we just bored?
Back in the day, we had real threats to contend with. Like, bears and mountain lions and starvation. Real threats. Today, we live in such comfort and prosperity, there are few imminent threats to our lives. We have nothing left to fight.
So we fight each other.
Friends, I’ll ask you today to consider what I’ve said here before firing back a comment, tweet, whatever. Is it necessary? Is an opposing opinion really a threat to your survival? Can we disagree without attacking and belittling?
Don’t feed your allergy. Fight hunger. Fight poverty. Fight a real threat; not your fellow human.
Becky Castle Miller
That’s a great analogy. I’ve definitely noticed that when I’m immersed in work that’s making a difference, I spend less time worrying about people who are wrong on the internet.
Sarah Kovac
Ah. Meaningful work is probably the solution to many of our cultural issues.
Bonnie Emery
Most of my grandchildren’s allergies are autoimmune – the body fighting its self. I enjoyed your article because the insight it gave me explained a lot to me. Even asthma – being allergic to dogs or cats – I understand how that works now. Very good article, Sarah.
Sarah
Thanks, Bonnie!