We humans are tempted to attack anything that appears foreign to us. As psychologist Abraham Maslow observed, when you have only a hammer, you’re inclined to look at everything as if it’s a nail.
This unfortunate tendency often stems from a lack of nuance.
Our world has become more polarized. We tend to see things in black or white, with little ability to handle shades of gray. It seems easy to stay in our silos and hurl attacks in other directions.
An ability to see nuance, on the other hand, allows us to engage with each other with critical thinking that challenges but allows for other viewpoints, while affording empathy to others.
Nuanced thinking is difficult to do well. It’s much easier to see things in binaries: good or bad, beautiful or ugly, liberal or conservative. It feels safe to remain in our preconceived lanes without having to engage with what seems alien to us. It’s in our nature to make sense of the world by categorizing, which allows us to create order and approach a world that can be disorienting.