Thursday, December 1, 2011

Compromise

The divisive political culture and its attendant political paraylsis prevalent in the U.S. can be seen as a result of widespread narrowmindedness, encouraged by extremism. People take a stand, stake out their territory, and cling to it tenaciously, as if the very thought of ever reconsidering or changing is utterly inconceivable. This, my friends, is the essence of narrowmindedess, blindness, and it permeates our culture to the core.

Ask any American what their favorite movie is, and then ask what they consider to be the best movie of all time. Chances are their two answers will be the same. If you think about it, you realize that this is narrowminded.

Every issue has more than one viewpoint, and all viewpoints contain at least a kernel  of truth, usually more. No matter how stongly we feel our convictions, we are better for it if we simply make the effort to understand the point of view of those who disagree with us. That is the only possible basis for compromise. 

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