We are surrounded by so much noise from so many directions that I sometimes feel like I’m in a “twilight zone,” experiencing an alternate reality.

Every day, we are barraged with countless opinions on news broadcasts, talk shows, social media and podcasts, often in an aggressive manner. At the same time, it has become more challenging to simply “talk to one another.”

In the past when people expressed divergent views, conversations were more give-and-take—perhaps ending with: “Guess we will have to agree to disagree.” And life went on. It felt civilized.

Now conversations about lifestyles, values, gender and certainly politics have gone off the rails. We are subjected to ugly name calling and threats of violence over simple differences of opinion. This has become acceptable in many levels of society, including among people in the public eye, who have great influence over others.

The Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism, teaches how God despises those who purposely deceive, who say one thing “with their mouth and another in their heart.” Doing so violates the Torah, which prohibits false speech and fraudulent business actions. And when pursuing justice, the rabbis say, honesty must prevail over lies. Yet when lying becomes the norm, it warps some people’s version of reality.

Many people automatically reject any idea that doesn’t line up with what they want to hear. They choose information sources that reinforce what they already think and are not open to more varied ideas and information. Why has this happened? Why are people more resistant to listening to others’ opinions, feeling only they are right?

One mantra I have shared with friends and colleagues is “Perception is reality”; how someone sees something often becomes their truth. When we view a situation from all sides, we can better understand one........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)