JimBowie1958
Old Fogey
- Sep 25, 2011
- 63,590
- 16,754
- 2,220
We human beings are flawed to a degree that most Americans cannot imagine because we are raised to believe that human beings are basically good, and I believe that.
What we have to do is restore a center fulcrum to our society and political dialogue that balances one extreme against the other and allows for things to get done with both sides still fully in play.
Here is a series of analogous examples of a person balancing pencils using this technique.
These are very stable systems as long as the enter of gravity is below the point of the pencil, or the fulcrum of the system,.
We need reflective, rational Centrism that is based on principle, not mere fence sitting attempts at a faux neutrality.
What would these principle be?
1) Intellectual humility from realizing one has been wrong about something they felt very sure of in the past, and so one might be once again wrong now.
2) A willingness to actually listen to the opponent and know their arguments as they would present them and maybe even better than they do.
3) An intolerance of calls to violence when negotiation, political action and building consensus on commonly held interests are still available. This means excluding racists and Marxists from any political discussions due to there being no common ground with those who dehumanize their opponents.
4) Seeking pragmatic solutions to immediate problems instead of theoretical ideological solutions that are abstract and always delayed into the irrelevant future. Refusing to agree to immediate solutions because of spending ten years down the road is nothing more than a rhetorical dodge because spending and budgets are dynamic and as problems approach the budgets will change and not simply carry on till it slams into a wall of consequences.
5) Respect your opponents when they extend rational discussion to you and tolerate your expression of free speech and return the favor likewise.
What we have to do is restore a center fulcrum to our society and political dialogue that balances one extreme against the other and allows for things to get done with both sides still fully in play.
Here is a series of analogous examples of a person balancing pencils using this technique.
These are very stable systems as long as the enter of gravity is below the point of the pencil, or the fulcrum of the system,.
We need reflective, rational Centrism that is based on principle, not mere fence sitting attempts at a faux neutrality.
What would these principle be?
1) Intellectual humility from realizing one has been wrong about something they felt very sure of in the past, and so one might be once again wrong now.
2) A willingness to actually listen to the opponent and know their arguments as they would present them and maybe even better than they do.
3) An intolerance of calls to violence when negotiation, political action and building consensus on commonly held interests are still available. This means excluding racists and Marxists from any political discussions due to there being no common ground with those who dehumanize their opponents.
4) Seeking pragmatic solutions to immediate problems instead of theoretical ideological solutions that are abstract and always delayed into the irrelevant future. Refusing to agree to immediate solutions because of spending ten years down the road is nothing more than a rhetorical dodge because spending and budgets are dynamic and as problems approach the budgets will change and not simply carry on till it slams into a wall of consequences.
5) Respect your opponents when they extend rational discussion to you and tolerate your expression of free speech and return the favor likewise.
