An Ambassador in another country shared the following sentiment with me: People who wish to do evil for their own selfish purposes (whether it be fame, power, position, or fortune) have figured out they no longer need to wage a war to conquer society – they only need to feign they are two people with extreme opposite opinions fighting over whose opinion is right and whose is wrong and sit back and watch as society destroys itself.

So how do we avoid becoming pawns in someone else’s game?

If our goal is for hearts to be softened, minds to be opened, and relationships to get strengthened, then there is simply no place for bullying, harassing, shaming, talking down to, threatening, publicly disparaging, name calling and so on.  And anytime we see those tactics employed we would do well to ask ourselves, “What’s the actual goal trying to be achieved here?”

No one can use us as a pawn in their games unless we let them. We don’t have to participate in stirring people to anger one against the other. We don’t have feel like we can only be friends with people who share our same views. We don’t have to limit our circle to those who share our political views. We don’t have to buy into the notion that one must place a flag or a sign in their yard to be supportive or the notion that those who don’t are signifying opposition. We don’t have to use social media as a tool to deepen divides or a way to tally up support for disagreements. We don’t have to take part in any of the games that only serve to tear families apart, ruin friendships, destroy communities, and divide countries.

Life isn’t about winning, it’s about loving. Life isn’t meant to be a game of us versus them or about proving who is right and who is wrong. And no one in life has to lose in order for anyone else to win. We avoid becoming pawns in someone else’s game by staying focused on how we are living our own lives and ensuring our actions are reflecting our values.

~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )