The power of weak ideologies

Back in uni, if two of my friends were in a tussle, I always ended up the middleman, seeing both points of view. If I spoke to A first, I fully got him. B should have done better! Then I’d speak to B, and now I’m disappointed in A, at least for a moment.

Soon, I’m burdened with the pains and faults of both, pitching my tent with neither.

It gets worse when it’s my friend vs an acquaintance. Even then, I don’t champion my friend blindly.

It helps to mediate, but over time, I saw how unpopular this is. On social media, people bash anyone who seems to be neither here nor there. Just considering a differing perspective makes you the weak point.

As the world gets more complex and polarised, I’m wondering if we can survive on a strict diet of strong ideologies strengthened by absolute adherence — or if we need more weakly held positions that can shift with nuance in search of common ground.