Politics

I’m getting fed up.

Here’s the deal.  I’m a conservative Christian in a liberal arts profession.  So I have friends and acquaintances on both sides of the political split—extreme left and hard right.  And I am all for free speech and I can certainly appreciate and even admire true political activists who take a stand for what they believe and take advantage of email and social media to further a cause they are passionate about. 

What I am tired of is the name calling and the view that we are in a battle of good vs. evil or that it’s “us against them” when it comes to political party.  Can I just say that most people who are passionate about an issue—whatever side they are on--are GOOD-hearted people? And they want what is good for our country?  That people on every point in the spectrum are rational "thinkers"?  They are not all idiots who are blinded or deceived or stupid just because they are liberal or conservative.

Is there false information out there?  You bet.  How do you know it isn’t yours?  Statistics are often used to make point.  This seems sensible, however there is ALWAYS another statistic floating around somewhere which contradicts or supersedes.  I never know what statistic to believe because often the research is driven by a certain worldview and thus will often obtain a desired result.  So when people quote a statistic, it’s not that it’s wrong, and certainly not that the person referencing it is “ignorant and misinformed,” but there are a lot of “facts” out there…and that’s where the confusion lies.  Can we acknowledge that instead of dismissing someone’s argument (and worse, dismissing someone’s value) simply because we’ve heard or read a different statistic?

I feel completely bombarded with messages of intolerance, condescending language, and honestly, what feels like hatred—from both liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans.

We will never all agree on how to obtain the best for our society, our government,  our country, but can we at least agree to disagree without personal judgment and stereotyping?  I might be much more persuaded to listen to you if you stop posting venom-filled Obama jokes or stop forwarding arrogant outrage at “conservative idiots” every day. 

Let’s see people for who they really are: PEOPLE.  We are all people who love and hope and grieve and strive for a better future.  We all prize freedom and the right to pursue happiness.  We have a GREAT country with so many freedoms and so many opportunities available to us all.   Neither political party is “destroying” our country.  Be realistic.  The decisions made may be contrary to our desires and what we personally think is best, but we do have a system of checks and balances, right?  We have the opportunity to be more persuasive and gain a majority vote in a few short years.  But be wise and loving about how you are trying to persuade, or it will only breed loathing.  Freely stand up for your beliefs, but don’t categorically judge the “other side” while doing so.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, 

but have not love, 

I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”   

~1^st Corinthians 13:1