I've had a lot on my mind the last few days. I have been thinking a lot about the power and importance of cultivating a positive environment, not only in your personal language learning but also as a language learning community AND as a human being.
It's May of 2020 right now, and the world is going through what I believe is a world-changing event, the Coronavirus epidemic. Much of the world is grappling with having to change the ways we chose to live, and in many cultures (Like in the US) The epidemic has further highlighted the vast difference in world view many Americans have about life. It has also brought to the surface people's fears and vulnerabilities about the role of social groups, the role of government and the bounds of freedom, and many other hot topics in American culture.
At the same time I have seen in several places online debates that turn heated and personal. People misinterpreting or misunderstanding written words and lashing out at them; and the targets of that lashing out choosing to lash out in return. People get pushed away from one another and, I believe, the community as a whole is weakened.
This kind of reaction to things is not unique to this (very unusual) year. It has happened on the Internet since its invention and has happened on paper for thousands of years before that. Human beings are going to have conflict; it's just part of being human.
In some ways the fact that conflict is part of human nature means that my thoughts lately are somewhat futile; a lost cause. Nevertheless I (at the very least) need to get it off my chest.
Learning a new language is a strange mix of easy and hard. Learning a new language is a simple task, but hard to actually do. It takes time, motivation, and commitment. We would all serve one another better if we push negativity and conflict from our midst. Debate is a very healthy activity for a community, but only of it is moderated and done with courtesy and care. If you are are like me you know lots of things about lots of things; and when other people (Especially on the internet) spout off in an authoritative way about something they know little to nothing about, It's easy and understandable to jump down their throats with hard, tasty facts. Some of us even have academic credentials to back up our knowledge, but I think rebuke should be done with kindness and understanding.
Now before you go calling me two-faced, I admit that I do enjoy seeing a loud mouthed know-it-all put in his place. However every time I see it happen and express satisfaction about it (Man he had -that- coming!...) I think about it afterwards and come to the conclusion that it may have been better to be less confrontational and aggressive. Of course, there are times when I feel it is not only appropriate to engage a topic with ruthless aggression but the right thing to do, such as in cases of racism, discrimination, harassment, and exploitation. However when it comes to what a person knows or does not know, or what a person's opinion is about a topic, I feel strongly that we as a community would be better served by showing kindness, patience, and compassion towards those who maybe are not as experienced or knowledgable about things as others are, even while we correct or inform them of the facts. I would even encourage our community to ignore aggressive rhetoric and confrontation directed at us from outside rather than turn and confront. Of course, this is a very complicated topic and there are as many exceptions to this as there are in English Grammar. However I think if our default mode was kindness, acceptance, and compassion we would draw more people into our shared passion than we do.
And for the most part I think our community of language lovers, polyglots, and linguists is a kind, compassionate, and enabling group of people.
We are! - and I am proud of that. I just think perhaps lately I have noticed more aggression and conflict floating around than normal. I blame the Virus, but we can still try to be better.
Now I'm going to step off my soap box and talk about why this is important. Many of us are studying our target languages without the benefit of formal training or unlimited resources. Many of us are trying to learn a new language while simultaneously juggling school, families, work, bills, other hobbies, and everything else that encompasses the broad activity I have come to call "adulting". Keeping involved in the community should be an activity that lifts us up and motivates us rather than being a stressor. After all, learning a new language can be a roller-coaster of "I got this!" and "I suck" without all the inter-personal drama that can come with a world-wide community. We need to be able to rely on one another for motivation and encouragement, and we should avoid unhealthy levels of criticism and and negativity; and strive as a community to be a safe, positive space.
Let me give an example from my own experience about the effects of negativity in the community.
Some time after returning from Europe for the first time I started learning Irish. After a few months I hit a wall in my studies and was reading on the Duolingo Irish forums. I participated in and then followed a thread that was debating the value of learning Irish. You can guess the content of this debate. Some people were saying we -should- study Irish in order to preserve a wonderful and ancient language tied to a culture that has had a huge influence on American life. Others countered by saying Modern Irish is not at all the same as Ancient Irish and that Modern Irish is only one step above a con-lang because it was brought back in the 1920's. Therefore, Irish has no real value and we shouldn't bother learning it.
Well, as you can imagine the debate got pretty heated. I mean, honestly even if there are only two native speakers of a language I would not say it was not a language worth learning. It was during this time I discovered and adopted the sage Will Wheaton's law for existing on the internet.
But the damage had been done. Though the debate I witnessed had not swayed my personal opinions on the matter it had caused me to be unhappy, and soured my taste for the Duolingo Irish community. I was not able to enjoy Irish anymore, and I put the language on the back burner for a while and focused on French.
I came back to it in preparation for my trip to Ireland in 2017, and I had grown as a language learner in that time. People who say Irish is not a language worth learning simply do not understand its history, and perhaps they just don't like it. They are free to feel that way and express their opinion, and I am free to ignore them and keep all the Irish to myself. They can't have it.
Negativity in a community can have lasting and real effects on its members. I feel that it's our responsibility as a community to be a safe and positive space for people to be in. We should be kind and uplifting; encouraging and positive. There will always be conflict. It is part of being human. There will always be debate and disagreement; it is part of intellectual progress. However I feel we should strive to be as understanding and positive as we can be. Especially since we all come from such varied backgrounds and cultures. We have people who have doctorate level degrees and years of research bumping around with people like me, who have no degrees and are simply enthusiasts.
So how can we do it? How can we cultivate a positive and enriching community? It all starts with -you-.
I feel the most important aspect of achieving a more positive learning space in our community is to start with your personal learning space. As I have said many times, Learning a language is difficult, and I think one of the biggest factors in a person's success in learning a language is personal motivation. Even in classrooms where you have a teacher enforcing accountability the students who are personally motivated tend to do the best.
A positive headspace is key to maintaining an environment in which your skills can grow and blossom. This can be a hard thing to do, and we all have days where we think to ourselves "God why am I even doing this?!" It's going to happen.
And when it does you should be able to lean on the community for some inspiration to lift you.
I needed some the other day, and a language learning podcast saved the day!
I won't tell you to stop doubting yourself because I don't think that is realistic, but I will tell you to focus on believing in yourself!
You can do this!
Millions of people around the globe are learning new languages, and you are one of them. Try switching your perception.
Mistakes are not bad, they are learning opportunities.
Speak your target language even if it is terrible; chances are its not as terrible as you think.
Keep working! Even when things get tough just keep going.
You will look back on the other side and see how much you grew through the adversity.
Avoid negativity!
You don't need it; and most of us deal with enough of it coming from our own heads. External negativity is a plague and should be treated as such.
However don't assume people are trying to attack you.
Give people the benefit of the doubt. Text can be rough to interpret when it comes to the emotion behind the words. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt unless their intention is stated.
Give yourself a break!
It's an amazing thing you are doing!
I believe in you, and I believe in us.
If each of us spends a little effort each day to maintain our personal positive learning space I believe it will carry over into the community as a whole, and we will all lift one another up to higher levels of motivation and inspiration.
Now, my rant is over.
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