Musings

Musings

DirtySciFiBuddha19 Comments

In my opinion, [patriotism/loyalty/allegiance] has nothing to do with being [liberal/conservative/etc.], and has everything to do with the ability to deliver a sound, well-thought out argument that contributes to the conversation.  The employment and articulation of critical thinking not only makes for a stronger individual, but a stronger collective as well.  Blind endorsement of a [flag/concept/religion/etc.] is merely tribalism.

Tribalism weakens the collective; it destroys the opportunity for uncomfortable growth (through productive debate), and wallows in a rush of simplistic elitism.  In the end, if opportunities to grow are continually neglected, then the interest will compound, and the payment will come in the form of a giant catastrophe.

19 thoughts on “Musings”

  1. Excellent perspective. What’s happening now with politics is very disheartening. The thought that you have to be one way or the other to be “acknowledged” is, in my opinion, ludicrous. Then on top of that, if you’re one way you’re a horrible person to the people that are “the other way”. What I see happening is also a bit frightening. The amount of reasoning/thought applied to these points of view seems to be very diminished. Having civil discourse is… less common?
    That said, though, I am still a patriot. I like living in the U.S. I am proud to be an American… BUT… I will not sit here and spout off about this being the greatest country in the world. I will not say that we are a country without problems that need to be resolved. I actually think I would be doing this country an injustice by trying to believe such rhetoric. I also think that being hard left or hard right does our society an injustice. It allows for what is happening in politics… a lot of arm waving and making loud noise versus being productive.

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  4. You speak truth here. I wonder if it isn’t better to note though, for the sake of removing fault in a world where we’re all just trying to figure things out, if we could acknowledge that catastrophe is inevitable regardless of our eagerness to grow together. The reason we should try anyway is to lessen the damage done when dark times come. At least I think so.

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    • Yep. I think the forces of evolution and cause and effect will balance everything out in the end, but the natural swings of the pendulum are too catastrophic and calamitous for us humans. It’s better for us to direct the flow of the river while we can, rather than wait for overwhelming pressure to build up and force it into the right direction.

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      • That is a great notion. One I wholeheartedly agree with. After all, even if we fail to stop the calamity, it is better to volunteer for hardship. And I only meant what I said as a sort of note. It’s what I wish more people with influence (political and so on) would use to persuade. That acknowledgement of the other as human is generally more able to find compromise.

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  7. As Americans, we are all in this together. Without civil debate and unselfish compromise, we face a never-ending crisis. Time to rethink things like Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill and President Ronald Reagan who found ways to find common ground and move the country forward.

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