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right versus left … and truth

——–

“The world isn’t being destroyed by democrats or republicans, red or blue, liberal or conservative, religious or atheist — the world is being destroyed by one side believing the other side is destroying the world.”

Andrew WK

——

Well.
I liked this editorial I am going to share today.

Sometimes we seem to get so caught up in labels … conservative, liberal, progressive, right wing, left wing, etc … that we lose sight of what really matters.
Labels <heuristics in the broadest frame of reference> are tricky things.

We like them because it allows us to slot people and things and ideas.

We hate them because if we pay enough attention … they often lead us astray.

The difficulty for us is often we are so busy trying to get shit done and save our brains from thinking about senseless stuff we use these labels to take mental shortcuts.

Ah.

But then … every once in a while something gets a little personal.

And then the labels create a shortcut that ends in a dead end.

And we don’t like that because short cuts aren’t supposed to do that.

And we get frustrated.

And this is where this editorial really makes an excellent point.

Just think about it.

Far too often we have labels that create unhealthy thinking & thought dead ends.

——

Rocker Andrew W.K. writes a weekly advice column for The Village Voice.

In this week’s “Ask Andrew W.K.,” he answers a question from “Son of A Right-Winger,” and in the process gives us all great advice, regardless of our political views.

The tough question

Hi Andrew,

I’m writing because I just can’t deal with my father anymore.

He’s a 65-year-old super right-wing conservative who has basically turned into a total (expletive) intent on ruining our relationship and our planet with his politics.

I’m more or less a liberal democrat with very progressive values and I know that people like my dad are going to destroy us all.

How do I explain to him that his politics are turning him into a monster, destroying the environment, and pushing away the people who care about him?

The perfect answer

Dear Son of A Right-Winger,

Go back and read the opening sentences of your letter. Read them again. Then read the rest of your letter. Then read it again.

Try to find a single instance where you referred to your dad as a human being, a person, or a man.

There isn’t one.

You’ve reduced your father — the person who created you — to a set of beliefs and political views and how it relates to you. The world isn’t being destroyed by democrats or republicans, red or blue, liberal or conservative, religious or atheist — the world is being destroyed by one side believing the other side is destroying the world.

The world is being hurt and damaged by one group of people believing they’re truly better people than the others who think differently. The world officially ends when we let our beliefs conquer love.

We must not let this happen.

———

Well.

There is your thought for the day …
‘The world isn’t being destroyed by democrats or republicans, red or blue, liberal or conservative, religious or atheist — the world is being destroyed by one side believing the other side is destroying the world.’

Despite the conclusion you may draw … you are no better than someone else.

Think about … well … “I’ve been wrong before.” Maybe we should consider that thought more often.

Regardless.

Just because we may think differently than someone else does not make us any better than them.

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August 20, 2014 by Bruce

Written by Bruce

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right versus left … and truth

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right versus left … and truth

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