Journeeman.

I have a small issue. Well, maybe not so small.

It’s about how people respond to one another online.

Don’t get me wrong — I love feedback. I love it when someone tells me something I didn’t know, or challenges what I’ve said. I don’t mind being wrong. Life has taught me we’re all wrong about something — some of us more than others — and that’s okay.

I also love knowing how little I actually know about so many things. That doesn’t bother me at all — bring it on.

I love it when someone shares a good article that helps clarify a point. I admit, I can’t always read as quickly as I’d like. On days when my autism throws me a curveball, words get jumbled and sometimes seem to lose their meaning altogether. But I’ll work through something until I understand what’s being said — because it matters.

So here’s what’s really bothering me — and it’s twofold.

First, there’s my own humanity. At 61, I feel more ignorant than ever, and I sense I have less time than I want before cognitive decline sets in. That, in my world, is a real, hard truth.

Second — and this is the bigger one — the world I engage with seems less and less engaged with reality. I know this sounds general, but over my lifetime, I’ve watched people grow less curious, less willing to read deeply, less willing to be wrong. And the saddest part? The very systems and institutions we should be able to lean into are showing the same trend.

I’m writing this straight off the cuff, honestly — born out of frustration. But what has happened to us?

Maybe it’s the loss of careful thinking and rhetorical skill in how we’re taught to communicate.

Maybe it’s that damaging idea a generation grew up with — the belief that no one should ever lose. That’s not reality; that’s fiction dressed up as truth.

Maybe we’ve lost the hopeful progressivism of the past, turned cynical, and lost our sense of direction — as individuals and as a culture.

I know something real is shifting. I see people dividing over the most absurd ideas. And as for blaming one culture or another for past wrongs? If we’re going to talk about it, let’s be honest — every culture has its share of collective guilt for humanity’s poor track record of caring for one another.

Political division is turning aggressive in places, and I see it beginning to creep that way here in New Zealand too. There are many reasons for it — but I suspect a lot of it comes from blind spots we refuse to see, and false narratives we’ve accepted as fact.

That’s it — my honest frustration from these last few years. I couldn’t put a name to it until recently, when I heard someone say:

“We can do better, guys. This isn’t good enough.”

I wonder if you feel it too?

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t trust grand collective solutions. I lean strongly toward an existential faith — my Christian perspective means I look to individual conscience, personal integrity, and the quiet work of being faithful in your own life. But I want to hear from you — especially those of you who actually have something to say.

I’ll sign off now — I can feel the tendency to ramble starting to take over. Thank you for taking a moment to listen to my heart.