I was talking with a number of acquaintances and friends yesterday on FB about - of course - the current political issues.
Those on the far left ranted about Project 2025 and how it is the end of Democracy, and after reading it - if ever fully implemented might be. They brought up "The Handmaids Tale" and almost chanted "We won't go back". They brought up the excessive gun violence in our country - which is truly one of the worst in the world especially for a prime 1st world nation like the United States. They were terrified about a religious nationalism that would - if - implemented make us a Christian version of Iran. I tried to calm them down and state that the likelihood of that (in my opinion) is slim even if Trump returns to the presidency.
Then I had the far right and MAGA folks enraged by the news media (again) for not telling every American about the number of terrible criminals in our country because of (and here it comes) Comrade Harris (how infantile to do that). I tried to explain to them that in every presidency there have been people with various criminal histories coming through the border for decades - under EVERY President. Yes - even under Donald Trump. There is an old saying: "Through enough feces at a hole in the fence and some will get through." So yes - more immigrants coming may result in more of those with some criminal background. But they all weren't murders - not be a long shot. But these fearful biased, scared people want to believe they are all a united gang ready to assail us in our sleep.
They went on about a Marxist regime and the end of capitalism and how all our freedoms are in jeopardy.
I could name several more issue that they brought up and in each I could almost feel the panic from both of the extremes pouring out through the impersonal environment of social media. Their fear - from each side - that their freedoms were being assailed by the other side. The only difference was which freedoms they perceived were under attack.
Seriously y'all - you need to calm down. You need to not only think but look... Look at your neighbors. Are all of them extreme liberals who are intent on taking your guns and having immigrants take your place in society? Are they really? Hey you - on the far left - do you really think that the majority of people out there don't care if you daughter gets raped and want to force her to have a child that once born no one will help her support or find a good home for because now that is 'her problem'?
C'mon people - we listen too much to the fringe, the extremists, the minority. They talk so loudly that they make as my grandmother would say: "A mountain out of a mole hill".
I am not saying these are not issues that need to be addressed, but they are best addressed by all when we talk civilly about it - with ears that don't just hear but LISTEN and minds open enough to consider the opposition perspective.
I often think we have become a society where compromise and negotiation are considered weakness. That if we must win - at any cost rather than achieve a solution that is a start for the majority.
The majority. what has happened to them? To us? We get sucked into taking a side or you become "One of THEM". It is no longer acceptable to have a moderate opinion on an issue or you are "Not on our side".
I care about people. Those I know and yes those I don't. I don't want every view that I have to be the law of the land because I know that every view, I have cannot possibly be infallible. If I did believe that - if anyone believed that - what arrogance.
So I hope that we don't just listen to and follow the "CLOWNS to the LEFT of me and JOKERS to the RIGHT".... I hope with all my heart that... "I am stuck in the middle with YOU" and that we can see past the hate/fear speech from both side and look toward compromise and negotiate to a future that we all can accept and hopefully flourish.
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