A Closer Look Here, There and Everywhere
by Trish PurcellDepending on your point of view, if you speak out, the response from some will likely be that you hate America or you are unpatriotic; or by others that you are trying to blur the line between church and state, or you are too biased to see the truth.
These aren’t really “responses” - they do not deal with what you said. Rather, they are dialogue stoppers that essentially tell you to shut up; just another way of saying, “My mind is made up and I am not interested in hearing anything that does not confirm what I already believe.”
I remember when there were discussions in which people with opposing views actually exchanged ideas. These were interesting, animated exchanges that offered ideas and possibilities I would have spent a lifetime discovering on my own. Sometimes viewpoints were broadened or even changed. These experiences showed that refusing to re-examine opinions and closing my mind to the possibility that I might be mistaken in my conclusions, was to set my mind in cement at a specific point in time and never more to move forward.
The world continues to grow and change. If we are unable or unwilling to grow and change along with it, we arrest our own development. That is not to say that all change or all progress is good. But how will we know, if we are unwilling to examine it from all sides?
This was never more obvious than in today’s political arena. We have set up models for ourselves of closed minded behavior in left leaning political rants on the opinion pages of our newspapers and in the right leaning rants on our radio talk shows. Neither of these mediums encourages an honest exchange of ideas or any kind of real dialogue. They are simply take-no-prisoners monologues. They most certainly promote heavily biased ideas to the readers and listeners. How is that productive? Who is served by promoting such polarized political stances?
Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side.” So the real question seems to be, how rather than if to speak or not to speak. Perhaps a change in tone, a conscious willingness to really listen, would promote dialogue that might just bring us together instead of pushing us apart.
Trish, I couldn’t agree with you and Gandhi more. You are in good company.
It’s obvious that our nation presently faces many problems, and the lack of dialogue created by the present polarization of right and left doesn’t offer much possibility of resolution. Personally, I believe much of this present condition has been purposely planned and nurtured, and didn’t just arise in a vacuum. The “me versus you,” and “you are either with me or against me “mentality has been encouraged.
There are those in our nation appearing more interested in wealth and the power it brings them, than they are in the actual welfare of the people they often promise, and have even sworn, to serve. A people divided are much easier to manipulate and control.
All it takes is being aware of what core issues some hold dear, while basically ignoring others, and emphasizing them. Once you know what they are, and who holds them it is easy to make promises to such individuals and groups in order to insure receiving their votes. These are often groups that are polarized by definition, and tend to listen to no dialogue opposing what they believe.
It’s sad, but quite often these are beliefs based on religious convictions. When a group understands what they believe to be “the word of God,” they do not have to rationally question it, nor or they open to caring much what someone else might believe to the contrary. As a matter of fact, usually their religion would condemn such action. One need not question what they believe to be the teachings of their God, thus there is little possibility of listening to other views.
Another dynamic is that of fear. When it is learned that many people fear a particular thing or possible event, it becomes possible to manipulate them with that fear, by reminding them of it over and over. Thus, a person can become so fearful they tend to fall into the mindset of not being open to any information to the contrary. Telling them the problem is not as fearful as they believe, and/or there are various other solutions, are often quite fruitless.
These are just two instances of how people become polarized, close-minded, and essentially closed to any dialogue that might add to their knowledge or change their minds. If you look at some of the causes and motivations for the condition you have described in our nation, I think you will see these very dynamics at work. And, it is only a small step from there to realizing there are those who have helped create this mentality, and/or taken advantage of it.
Perhaps we will learn how to facilitate that listening process only when it is realized why people are incapable of listening, or simply don’t want to. Fear is a powerful motivator, and most often leads to irrationality that undermines critical thought. Whether it be the fear of disagreeing with a religious conviction, or another way of dealing with threats, real or imagined, or any one of a thousand other things, the key may be to understand and transcend those things that create fear within us. And, when we are not motivated by fear, others will not be able to use it against us.
Your points are well taken, Stephen. And I agree that the divisiveness is planned or at the very least capitalized upon. It seems to me that both of your examples boil down to the same thing – fear. There is the obvious fear of terrorist attacks or other events involving physical peril. But isn’t the religious convictions issue also a fear based attitude?
I see it as a fear of the grey areas of life; a shrinking from the responsibility of having to decide what is right and wrong. Religious convictions that paint everything as black or white ease the burden of personal accountability. And there are plenty of religious institutions that are delighted to play on that fear of taking full responsibility for our actions. They encourage strict adherence to what they teach and seem to overlook the flawed and obviously unchristian results of promoting such unthinking obedience.
In both cases, it is easy to take advantage of the fear and difficult to reach through the barricades that fear builds. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
What I fear is the silence of those who are able to see the truth but do not speak out. Perhaps it is because they feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems; possibly they do not want to deal with the discomfort of being a “lone voice;” maybe they are just apathetic through habit. Whatever their reasons, they do a great disservice to themselves and others.
Each of us is capable of changing the world. Most of us will not have a huge world wide effect, but we can make a difference in the little part of the world that we inhabit. Throughout history, that is how the greatest change has come about – small changes that cause other changes that then spread from one place to another and - lo and behold! - great change is the result.
So I salute you for your continued efforts and I am encouraged on my own journey by your messages.
Trish, I agree that religious convictions are often based on the fear of taking responsibility for one’s self. It’s so much easier to blame the Devil when things go terribly wrong, or thank God when everything runs smoothly. And it’s so much easier to commit atrocities when one believes it’s the will of Allah, and one will be rewarded rather than punished in the afterlife. No doubt those participating on both sides of the Crusades felt justified in not practicing the love preached in their holy books, because they were fighting for their God. That’s quite a conundrum, isn’t it?
How much easier it is to relieve the fear of responsibility by putting one’s hope and faith outside themselves. Ironically, I believe that most religions symbolically ask for both, but it appears that most people don’t seem to quite get that. When God or Allah is put only “out there” it becomes conveniently possible to not recognize It in the mirror as well.
What is most puzzling in general, and more specifically in our leadership, is the hypocrisy displayed in the practice of religion. Jesus, for instance, was a person of peace and forgiveness. He asked people to be their brother’s keeper, and to turn the other cheek while loving their enemies. How many times do we see our politicians or candidates constantly espousing to be good Christians, all the while condoning and calling for the most diabolical and drastic solutions to problems, often involving murder and mayhem? And then there are those caught in sexual indiscretions involving anything from adultery to pedophilia. The list is so long.
It’s interesting enough the people who support them don’t seem to care much about the hypocrisy, but what of the consequences of such behavior? To continually act in sin is equated with going to Hell. Professing to be a person of strong faith would seem to be an incentive to not act in a manner that is deemed sinful, or simply not humane by any moral standard. We presently live in a society where it suddenly appears ethical to screw other people for profit or power, as long as you don’t get caught. I’m sure this is not only in violation of religious doctrine, but also in conflict with the common sense of the Golden Rule.
Why do people use religion to diminish their fear of personal responsibility, and then persist in behavior that by the very tenets of their belief system will damn them eternally? You would think that would be something to greatly fear! Personally, it’s just my opinion that many people don’t really believe what they preach or profess to believe. It appears many feel a need to belong to various religious communities for reasons that may have nothing to really do with the religion itself. Dare I suggest business connections and vote seeking might be among them? Of course the biggest might just be that “my family has always done it.”
Sorry for digressing there -- just a few things I ponder often, and with no little chagrin. I agree with you that each of us, by taking responsibility can affect things in small ways that can lead to larger changes for good. Perhaps we all want to be able to affect the whole world, and become discouraged by the thought that we are too small to change things on that scale. So we do nothing. As wonderful as it is to have instant access to news around the world, and a plethora of ways to see the “big picture” it might be a curse as well as a blessing. We often fail to see the trail right in front of us, and forget we do have great power to alter a small journey, and that a large journey is only the sum of many small ones.
I also thank you for your efforts at communicating your perceptions and thoughts to the rest of us. You have a good mind, one that observes in depth and perceives more than one side to a thing. I haven’t yet read all of your blogs, but probably will now. I hope that I can learn to comment in less than a book. (smile)