Collectively, we tend to avoid what makes us uncomfortable. We flip past the page, change the channel, swipe away — anything to distract ourselves from what we’d rather not face. We prefer to hear what validates our opinions and makes us feel good about ourselves. More than ever, we seem to believe that something is only valid if it feels agreeable, and we’re becoming openly hostile toward uncomfortable truths.

Some don’t want to hear that being pro-Palestinian doesn’t make someone antisemitic; it may simply mean they are anti-Zionist. Others ignore reports describing an increase in antisemitic violence by domestic white nationalists since the start of the Gaza war and focus more on pro-Palestinian protestors. We may dismiss the idea that small local government is better than big government — especially if we are or were government employees. We might resist the notion that most immigrants pay taxes, work hard to support their families, and deserve due process and a chance at citizenship. At the same time, we might reject the argument that only immigrants who entered legally should have that chance or resist the idea that employers of undocumented immigrants should face prosecution as aggressively as the immigrants themselves.

It makes us uncomfortable to admit that this country has a caste system and remains racially divided, with ongoing systemic discrimination. We may prefer to look away from images of both past and present racism or dismiss the idea of reverse discrimination altogether. Some can study discrimination while others live it; that’s a privilege. Many avoid acknowledging Russia as the aggressor, just as others refuse to confront Israel’s humanitarian atrocities in Gaza. We may ignore the fact that we are a debtor nation — consuming more than we produce, importing more than we export, and holding one of the world’s highest national debts and budget deficits. It’s easier to blame drug trafficking across our borders than to ask why so many of our neighbors are using drugs. We often find it more comfortable to claim victimhood and scapegoat others than to confront the root causes of our problems. We make excuses for those in one group while castigating others on the other side for similar actions.

Through it all, we seek comfort over truth. We isolate ourselves in ideological bubbles, surrounding ourselves with people who echo our views. This mental isolationism is dangerous. Life in an echo chamber is not healthy.

We are eager to listen to what doesn’t offend us — even if it offends someone else. We want to be heard yet often refuse to listen. We can do better. We don’t have to blindly believe anything a charismatic, compelling speaker tells us without analysis. We don’t have to nod our heads just because others do. We are more intelligent and compassionate than we let on. We have more access to information — and misinformation — than any previous generations. We can stop scrolling past the uncomfortable and try to understand.

We can try, just a little every day, to listen to something uncomfortable. Listen. We should use every intellectual tool at our disposal to think critically and unpack why it makes us uneasy. We can be as outwardly reflective as we are inwardly introspective. And when we do, the discomfort will feel a little more comfortable.

William Barron lives in Bend. He blogs at simplebender.com.