Miscommunicating

To the Editor:
I normally stick to posting pictures of sunrises, sunsets, and other such sights on the internet; however, normal just never quite describes most everything I do.
It seems I have a tendency to invite some spirited debate. Unfortunately, many of the folks capable of such discussions are smart enough not to get involved in this venue.
Smart is right there with normal for me. Neither has much influence with my texting tirades. I do these things just often enough to cause controversy among my friends and concern to my loved ones.
While I’ve learned to live with myself by simply dismissing these things as “old age,” a recent post has me wondering if I’ve totally lost it.
Speaking to the recent Black Lives Matter issues, their violence and militancy, I said I could not support the current movement. I explained my advocacy in the past and that I felt the current movement was losing ground we worked so hard to achieve.
I immediately went under attack as a racist. That internet characters who don’t know me would do this was no surprise, still, some who I’ve been very close to were right there with the same accusations. I was shocked to think friends could feel this way about me.
I reached out to a few and discovered their minds were made up. I presented a difference of opinion to theirs; therefore I was not like them. I realized there is more truth than jest to my “I’m old” assertions.
Today, many folks are willingly fitting to groups, accepting and using labels to define and oversimplify our every characteristic. I’d like to make clear my assessments of people, as a whole, are positive.
 It is, in fact, a concern of mine that we are measuring one another by the few who are making all the noise.
As I said to one of my more eloquent detractors, we need to listen to one another with open minds. Surprisingly enough, with communication capabilities at an all-time high, real communications are almost nonexistent. If you are listening with preconceived notions, you are not listening.