I think a lot of times we all make the choice to attribute blame or justification for the things we say and do to the “fact” that it is simply the “way we are.” Too often we fail to take responsibility, accepting that there is a lot more about ourselves that we can and should decide.
One of the biggest conscious decisions I have made is an attempt to be centric. At heart, I am a liberal. There is no way to possibly deny this. But I do not let that excuse inappropriate behavior and allow for it to somehow justify not listening to other people. At the end of last school year, I made a commitment to be more moderate. It has been a tough road. It hasn’t been easy, and I haven’t always done the moderate thing. I have slipped, I admit it. And later those slips become moments that I regret.
Why this commitment, you might ask? Because to me, abandoning yourself to one ideological extreme accomplishes very little but a narrow minded view of the world. I felt restrained by my liberality before my commitment. I felt as though I had to say one thing because that was the way my party or camp said it. I found myself feeling like I should be ashamed when I agreed with conservatives. I like to believe that people who have not yet committed to centric politics feel the same restrictions.
We like to think that we have to believe one extreme or the other. We like to believe that siding on one definite side of any issue or campaign is the only way, and indeed the best way to handle things. Having made the movie to centric, I have to pause to wonder why. It is not a freeing situation. I look at my parents, who, in the last two years have moved further and further left and have begun to lose sight of reality just as much as extreme conservatives do. I often sit and listen in on their conversations as they repeat talking points at me and spout this nonsense and hang my head in shame. All it causes is aggravation and a lack of toleration for other people. And we wonder why we are a nation divided.
The truth? I think that politicians like to see us so bitterly divided. Because if we are divided then we can’t stand against any government that’s in place whenever anything truly is going the wrong direction. Take our current situation for example. Like Bush or not, you have to admit that he has made some missteps that he needs to be held accountable for. But will anything happen? Likely not.
The biggest choice I have made politically is to constantly seek out multiple sides of an issue. It is not always easy. It requires digging. It requires paying attention. It requires keeping an open mind (which can get very straining). But in the long run I believe it to be a very rewarding experience. The next time you begin to discuss a controversial issue with a classmate, a coworker or a random person on the street, consider this article. Consider, just for a moment, making the choice to be a centric. See if you think it’s worth it.