Two guys on social media were going back and forth the other day. One called the other “soft” for wanting immigrants to be treated with respect, dignity, and due process. The other fired back, calling his attacker a “shill” in bed with corporate interests instead of caring about regular folks just trying to get through life.
It’s the kind of stuff you see all the time on social media. You don’t have to go far to find it.
The attacks make me think that we’ve never been further apart. It can be incredibly depressing. I saw a few figures recently though that gave me hope.
Supporting others with treasure
Americans donated more than $617.20 billion to charity last year, a 5.7% increase according to Giving USA. Notably, about 64% of that giving came straight out of the pockets of everyday individuals—more than foundation and corporate giving combined. Americans have been quietly digging into their own pockets for centuries to help others, reminding us that no matter who we are, we can make a difference.
Supporting others with time
Formal volunteering hit historic lows in 2021 during the pandemic, but the tide has turned.Gallup’s data shows that the share of Americans who volunteered in the past year has climbed back to 63%. Today, over 75.7 million Americans formally volunteer through organizations, averaging about 70 hours of service a year.
Supporting others right next door
The most common way we show up for each other doesn’t even make it onto a tax form. Joint research from AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau found that 54.2% of Americans—roughly 137.5 million people—regularly engage in “informal helping”. They are mowing a neighbor’s lawn, bringing groceries to someone who is sick, or watching a friend’s kids. This neighbor-to-neighbor care actually surpassed pre-pandemic levels, proving we are still wired to look out for the person next door.
The Real World
The next time an angry comment section makes you feel like the world is falling apart at the seams, that it’s “Going to hell in a handbasket,” remember that the loudest voices online do not represent the quiet reality of our neighborhoods. Millions of people, every single day, are choosing to give their money, their time, and their hands to make someone else’s life just a little bit easier.
That is where the real story is.
What about you?
I’d love to hear from you. What gives you hope? Let’s fill the comments with the real stories that don’t make the headlines.
Images by Pexels.
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Writing from the Heart with Brian 
A brilliant point of view, Brian, I completely agree with you. there are so many wonderful people still around, Americans are good people. The leftist media and social media do all they/it can to divide us. I think we were better off without all of this technology.
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John, we’re on different sides of the political spectrum. I have far more issues with the far right media (Fox, Breitbart, NewsMax, OAN). I find that their approach and spin is all about separating us. As an example, I point to the $787.5 million that Fox paid out for lying about Dominion’s voting equipment. So we sit on opposite sides. But, I think what really matters is that I fully agree with everything else that you wrote. People are generally good. They care about their neighbors. They want to help. There is good in the world.
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I have met so many wonderful people here in Las Vegas, and lots of Michigan natives too who are also escaping the bitter winters!
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Your post is so timely Brian. I was reading the comments in a random post and finding my blood boiling. The post itself was engineered to bait rage and the comments undoubtedly included bots created to do the same. It’s sad and infuriating that our attention and rage have become monetized.
I love your proposed antidote to combat disagreement and manufactured dissent through acts of connection and charity. We need more of this – especially in these times of incivility!
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I left the socials for this reason, the aggressions, the lack of common sense and fundamentally if respect for whoever has different opinions, but like you I feel the loudest are not necessarily the majority, or at least I hope so🤓
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I came to say the same thing. I quit social media and the news about 12 years ago and it’s nice because my attention in on my immediate community and what we are doing to help one another. I think it would serve people well to shift their focus to friends, family, neighbors, and other small local communities… there is so much goodness when we are interacting one-on-one versus labeling one other.
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I still like to watch the news and stay informed, although some day is unnerving🙄 but I totally get your choice and it’s advantages.
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My neighbors and I all talk to each other, share food and labor, look out for each other, all free of argumentative talk about politics. It’s wild to me how rude people can be to each other when they are online and spared the reality of having to be face-to-face with another human being. It’s so much harder to be cruel and to forget someone else’s humanity in person than it is when they are a completely disembodied comment online.
This summer, I reached out to parents of my daughter’s school friends – most of whom I didn’t know well. We hosted outings and playdates so that my daughter could keep in touch with her friends over the summer, and it was a delightful experience getting to know the parents and the kids better, and see my daughter continue to build her friendship skills. It was a small thing, but I am so happy I did it and saw the positive results!
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It is best to focus on the good intentions of folks and not automatically jump to conclusions about their political ideals. Thanks for sharing this post.
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