Personal Ruminations on Cosmological Matters by a Liberal Early in the Morning

Background...

Read about a Zogby poll the other day that said that Fox News was the most trusted news organization.  Blogged it.  Blogged again about another article from a few months ago about six surveys with the same results.

Not surprised at all.  But, very disturbed.

Blogged again, and for the first time on this blog of mine spoke in the personal voice.  I spoke about the deep difficulty our country faces in understanding each other.  It's true that I framed it personally, speaking of my liberal nature and the conservative nature of most of my friends.  But, I believe the situation is a national situation.  And, in it's essence, isn't this liberal and conservative conundrum a possession of the human race?

Went to bed late thinking.  Woke up this morning much too early.  Thinking.  I'm a good sleeper.  1:30am.  6:00am.  Four and one-half hours!  Be warned, I am not in my right mind.

I played racquetball with a friend of mine two years ago.  Afterwards, we sat in the LA Fitness hot tub visiting about politics.  We agree on Family.  Women.  Sports.   And, more.

But, not Politics.

We visited two hours trying to understand the differences, and especially the reason for the differences in our attitudes and opinions.  (We spent a lot of time perched on the side of the hot tub, only our legs dangling in the water, our upper bodies acting as cooling radiators.)

And, nothing! 

There is something that runs deep, very deep, viscerally deep that explains why I am liberal and my friend is conservative.  And, I need to know why.

My friend never met a Hillary Clinton video clip that didn't ruin his day!   I never heard an audio sound byte from Rush Limbaugh that didn't sound histrionic and absurd.

From listening to all my rowdy conservative friends, you would think Nancy Pelosi was Satan!  From listening to me, I can tell you that Bill O'Reilly is Satan, or at least his spawn.

I don't know the answer.  But, the article referenced by my earlier blog... Dems Good! Reps Bad!! Right?   contains an attempt by another liberal trying to understand his conservative compatriots.  Let me steal a bit of his thunder, for those who haven't (but should) read the article...

... the Republicans have become the party of the sacred, appropriating not just the issues of God, faith, and religion, but also the sacred symbols of the nation such as the Flag and the military. 

And, Haidt says, togetherness.  The Republicans have become the party of a shared American experience.  Togetherness.

The Democrats could close much of the gap if they simply learned to see society not just as a collection of individuals—each with a panoply of rights--but as an entity in itself, an entity that needs some tending and caring. Our national motto is e pluribus unum ("from many, one"). Whenever Democrats support policies that weaken the integrity and identity of the collective (such as multiculturalism, bilingualism, and immigration), they show that they care more about pluribus than unum. They widen the sacredness gap.

With Haidt, understanding Republicans comes most basically down to understanding their respect for authority...

The authority/respect foundation will be the hardest for Democrats to use. But even as liberal bumper stickers urge us to "question authority" and assert that "dissent is patriotic," Democrats can ask what needs this foundation serves, and then look for other ways to meet them. The authority foundation is all about maintaining social order, so any candidate seen to be "soft on crime" has disqualified himself, for many Americans, from being entrusted with the ultimate authority. 

And, because of this respect for tribe togetherness and authority, he speaks of the importance of morality, and the relationship between morality and tribe togetherness...

If Democrats want to understand what makes people vote Republican, they must first understand the full spectrum of American moral concerns. They should then consider whether they can use more of that spectrum themselves. The Democrats would lose their souls if they ever abandoned their commitment to social justice, but social justice is about getting fair relationships among the parts of the nation. This often divisive struggle among the parts must be balanced by a clear and oft-repeated commitment to guarding the precious coherence of the whole. 

So, my mind is working.  The wheels are spinning.  But, the car is not moving.  Clouds of smoke, and burning eyes from the atomized rubber, attest to the gravity of the situation.  The entire universe looks down upon me.  I have been designated the Messenger for The Truth.  For the Word that will bring harmony to all.

And, I have nothing!

My wife Seraphina and I have been married closer to 40 years than 30 years.  Our marriage is good and satisfying.  But, we disagree philosophically on many things.  Frequently, we look at each other with amusement - most of the time, and wonder aloud why we get along.

But, we agree totally on most political issues!

I give up!  I'm going back to bed where I will toss and turn and stare at the ceiling.  My mind working on this issue.  In turmoil.

But, there's an answer on the edge of my consciousness.  If I can doze into semi-wakefulness, where I do my best work, the answer for mankind's political and philosophical - should I throw in religion? - woes will be answered, all to the benefit of all mankind.

I've learned from long experience that when my fertile, future Pulitzer prize winning mind starts to work...

                                         Not even flies dare to fly in the same room!