Lets Hear it for the Gray: Question Everything, Bank on Moderation

I was thinking today, as I am sometimes inclined to do, about life and grandiose and vaunted ideas like happiness, political mechanisms and subversion. I was floored. Where has moderation gone? As far as I can tell there is rarely ever black and white or pure good and evil in this world. When did we forget about the gray?

It dawned on me, as we hurry towards this election, that through our own human emotions, so many of us have forgotten about being open minded. Somewhere along the line we decided our positions and are now fiercely entrenching ourselves in them, for better or worse, ready to go down with the ship if that's what it takes. How many people do you really know that are going to go into the election this year, prepared to listen to debates and analyze differences open-mindedly and, in turn, vote for the candidate that fits their beliefs best? Maybe a few. How many more people do you know, however, that have made up their minds, long ago. No matter what comes out about their candidate or how bad they may look in debates and when forced to talk about future plans of action, they will vote for that candidate come hell or high-water and then turn around and tell you how stupid you are for not feeling the same way that they do?

Moderation. That's the answer. As long as Democrats watch CNN and listen to NPR, accepting that as gospel and Republicans watch Fox News and listen to Rush Limbaugh gobbling it up as hate-fodder against "Dumbocrats" the divide will continue to grow.

How can some people be so defined and connected to one political party? It seems a little absurd. Do these people really feel that strong of an allegiance to these politicians -- the slimiest of slimy Americans -- or do they merely enjoy associating themselves with what they like to perceive as the model-self of their party, making it easier to hate what they think the "other side" represents.

It's so much easier for a yuppy Democrat to stand back and say, "Oh those ignorant and uneducated conservatives are ruining this country. Guns and religion, guffaahh! With their war mongering and blood thirst. So basic." or a stubborn Republican to say, "Those liberals are such pussies. A bunch of ambulance chasers and Marxists ruining this country because they're so soft and feminine. They want the US to be France West." than it is to actually do research and take a step back to understand why, as Americans, we can feel so differently about issues. We would rather group together, generalize and point fingers than actually figure out where someone else is coming from.

Lets take today to turn it around. Question everything. The message; the sender; the potential motivation of the message sender. Ask yourself why you feel a certain way. Is it because you really believe it or is there another, less genuine, reason?

There usually never is absolute truth. Take time to see the gray and the direction that that may guide you.