these words that hurt the debate

It only takes a few seconds. A cut sentence, taken out of context, shared thousands of times. Brief and impactful formulas, designed to make an impact. Words thrown to hurt the adversary, which strike more than they enlighten. In the middle of the municipal election campaign, the temptation is great for political figures to look for the formula that stands out. One of them confided to me: “If the speech is too long or nuanced, the candidate seems weak. Today, we wait and remember words that make a difference. »

We often deplore the brutality of public debate. However, in every controversy, it is the clearest words that circulate the fastest. On our screens, we are more likely to click on what provokes than on what hesitates. It is tempting to denounce the simplification of others. More difficult to recognize our part in this taste for shortcuts. Because nuance is demanding. It requires us to recognize the complexity of reality and to listen, even if it means questioning ourselves. Simplification locks everyone into their own posture and prevents us from seeing the other as anything other than an adversary.

The search for the common good requires accepting that no decision will fully satisfy one side. It requires living with tensions and holding together sometimes divergent demands. In the Gospel, Jesus refuses the traps set by his interlocutors. He shifts the question and invites us to see further. Under his gaze, everyone is recognized, including in their contradictions: Zacchaeus, the adulterous woman… What if this Lenten season also invited us to this: to seek the right word in our debates as in our conversations?