I watched a “Twenty-Twenty” program recently, which documented the fact that as a country we are becoming more polarized than we have been since the Civil War. We are not just “red states and blue states”, but there is groupthink in our communities to the point that many of us do not really care to understand those who differ with us in philosophy, politics, or religion. Conservatives gravitate toward other conservatives and become more extremely conservative, conveniently demonizing the liberals as those who want to “destroy our moral values”. Liberals likewise gravitate toward other liberals and become more extreme, vilifying the conservatives as those who want to take away their freedom of thought and expression. We think we see conspiracies and plots everywhere. People who differ from our views are somehow “out to destroy us.”
If we do adhere to a particular philosophy, we do not want it to be challenged. We surround ourselves with “like-minded” people who will confirm our views. Rather than getting to know the other person, and perhaps finding that (heaven forbid) he may be intelligent and sincere, it is so much easier to ridicule and label all of those who disagree with us. We must be a hundred percent right and they must be a hundred percent wrong. “We” are good, but “they” are evil.
This situation is exploited on “Frontline” and “Hannity and Colmes” and other such programs which find that it is easier to get people to shout at each other than to listen to one another. (If I were selling headache powders I would want to advertise on those programs!)
Some of us need to begin to address this issue of polarization in a mature way. I am trying to keep in mind that all truth is God’s truth, wherever we may find it. And none of us have all of that truth. “We know in part”, Paul said, but we do not know it all. The most dangerous person is the one who thinks that he does. Unfortunately there are some who will accuse anybody who is not convinced that “we” are a hundred percent right as being “wishy-washy” on “the truth”. There is no room for question, or doubt, or uncertainty in their camp.
I think that it is time for us to open our minds and our hearts to others who look at life differently than we do. If we learn nothing else, we may at least learn compassion and humility and a more mature perspective. If our “faith” gets shaken, it was not much to start with. One of the best days of your life is the day you understand that you don’t understand.
Do we really think that we can know the whole truth when we only listen to one side?Is it heresy to believe that God loves people who don’t have your brand of religion? Is it error to believe that members of the opposing political party are also patriots? Are we aware of how many people have been killed by those who thought that they were the only ones who were right?
I would like to propose an experiment. It may be difficult, but it could be more rewarding than burying our heads in the sand, preaching to the choir, or seeing others as “the enemy”. Why don’t we have some friendly discussions with some people who believe and behave differently than we do? Decide ahead of time that none of you will jump to prove the other person wrong. Just listen, not to argue or to convert, but to understand. Ask questions, and then listen to the answers. Allow each person the dignity of his or her opinion, even if yours is radically different. Resist the temptation to be seen as “right”. If there is a contest, let it be a contest of who can LISTEN the best!
I would like to volunteer myself as one of the guinea pigs in this experiment. I hope that you will, too. The results have got to be better than what we have now.
I could not agree more. This polarization is only deepened by the cast choices in media today. Take for instance politics. If you are liberal, you have a vast array of blogs and stations on TV you can go to: Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann etc. If you are conservative, you maye prefer Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and the like. Then there is the blogosphere with the vast number of sites for each particulardemographic. Too often, however, we go to those who reinforce our beliefs. I tend to lean to the left politically on some issues, and to the right on others, and this often makes my conservative friends shocked when I tell them, because they assume I am a flaming liberal, but that is not how I see myself. Likewise I realize that all conservatives are not trying to shove religion and values down other people’s throats. We are all complex individuals and labels never do anyone real justice. But our society tends to perpetuate these messages of polarization.