Think, Listen, Understand

There can be no center if people do not think for themselves.

Recently I was told the story of a middle school student who, interested in politics, commented that “both sides sound just the same.”  While one’s immediate reaction might be to disagree because certainly the details of what each side says are different, when one looks at the bigger picture one realizes that this middle schooler was absolutely correct.

We have a definite political divide in this country, and each side is hateful toward and intolerant of the other.  Each side’s preference seems to be to deny everything held dear by the other side.  Both sides seem to lack any in-depth knowledge of our country’s history, or our constitution along with its history and subsequent interpretations, or our system of government and what is meant by federalism.  Yet both sides will use all those things to support their positions along with their hatred and denial of the other side.

That’s the big picture, and some might say:  well, if we are so much alike, why can’t we just get along.  But, as others might say, the Devil is in the details.  While we could look at the very specific details of today’s or yesterday’s hateful statements or actions, I think the more important details are just a bit broader and are the details of the values and beliefs of each side that underlie and motivate the hate that each displays.

One side seems to have chosen to dislike this country, its history, and all that it stands for.  They point out every imperfection to their new recruits and tend to see nothing but these imperfections, despising the country for them.  It is as if they are looking at a person covered with warts and are unable to see anything but those warts.

This side believes that the problems with the country stem from its very formation and form.  They believe that the way to fix problems, inequities, disappointments is not to work to make what we have better, but to replace the entire system.  Concurrent with this rejection of our democratic republic often comes a rejection of its underlying values which are primarily Judeo-Christian in origin.

The other side often tends to completely ignore the warts.  They believe in this country and all that it stands for, but often go beyond that to argue that it is perfect, has no negative history (or that such history is in the end justifiable) and needs no improvement.  They certainly do not think that the current system of government should be replaced rather than improved.  And, concurrent with this viewpoint often comes a traditional faith and value system grounded in Judeo-Christian principles.

These two positions are polar opposites and cannot co-exist.  Within a country you can have only one form of government.  You must have a generally agreed upon value system that governs the behavior of society within the country and its approach toward the rest of the world.  Each side’s viewpoint is, in its essence, a mortal threat to the other.

We have two sides that every day dig deeper into their positions, unwilling to listen to, let alone tolerate, the differing viewpoints displayed by the other side.  This country has survived, thrived, and grown only with an ability to hear disagreeing voices, understand them, and find some middle ground.  That cannot happen without tolerance for those who hold beliefs and values that differ from one’s own, a tolerance that seems non-existent today.

Where does this intolerance come from?  I think a big part of it comes from a fear of having one’s own views challenged.  And that fear is fueled by the fact that many do not have the understanding of their views that is necessary to deal with a challenge to them.

We live in a world of sound bites and superficial knowledge.  Everyone can do a Google search on anything, read an article or two, and think that they are an expert, whose opinion is as qualified as one who has studied or practiced that subject for years.  No depth of understanding required.

When superficiality rules, there is no need to think deeply about a subject.  When that comes to political positions or core values it is easy to simply accept the narrative that sounds good without further thought about it or about its consequences.  People find it easier to simply accept the position of another rather than to think for themselves.  And, because the position really belongs to someone else, because it is not one’s own  in the sense that one has not thought about it and does not own it, then the one who has simply adopted it is unable to defend it when challenged. 

This means that, when that position is challenged, rather than carry on a thoughtful discussion about the position, rather than reexamine one’s own beliefs while trying to explain them to another as well as understand differing opinions and what they might have in common with one’s own, the person challenged simply rejects the challenger, refusing to even hear their alternate viewpoint.  They cannot tolerate the alternate viewpoint because it is a threat which they cannot defend against since they do not have the understanding of their own beliefs necessary to do so.  And, this “attack” leads not only to fear, but also to hatred against the attacker because of their threat.

If we were all thinking for ourselves, we would not have these two distinct, irreconcilable, and hateful groups.  Instead we would have a wealth of individuals representing their own person along a broad and diverse spectrum.  But we cannot have that without people using their seemingly long forgotten ability to think for themselves.

With thinking about something comes not only a better understanding of that thing, but also a better understanding of differing views about that thing.  Thinking and understanding deeply allows one to understand the why of their own viewpoints and with that why they can have the courage to have those viewpoints challenged and the courage to tolerate those who hold different views.

This country, our form of government, allows us to hold that individuality even while some would have us give that up.  This country allows us, indeed encourages us, to have not only extreme opposing positions but to listen and learn and come together in some middle ground.  But to have that middle requires that we listen and learn and understand.   And we cannot do that if each opposing side simply dismisses and hates the other.

It is education and thought that give one the courage to lose the fear and its companion intolerance that plague us today.  Without them we will never bridge the gap that grows ever wider and more hateful between opposing political sides; sides that are made up in large part by people who are simply accepting one view and rejecting another without any thought or examination.

This country is not perfect.  It has warts.  But it is not only warts.  It has a beauty and goodness that has always shined through despite those warts and that has led us to ever become better members of the human race.  We cannot let this superficial time in which we live blind us to that. 

The middle school student is on the right track and we must encourage her and her peers to rise up and think, to become the individuals that they are meant to be with views that are their own in depth and understanding, and not simply superficial creations and mimics of others.  They can lead this country back to the centered, tolerant, and diverse society that stands together both despite and because of its individuals and their differences. 

It is that ability to think for oneself with understanding that is at the very core of our society.  Indeed, it is a requirement to have the rights and privileges and freedoms that this democratic republic provides.  Thinking, listening, understanding:  these are our civic duties.  We owe it to that middle schooler to exercise them.