Reason for Being

Red states, blue states. Right, wrong. Stupid, smart. And so the polarizing goes. It’s the inevitable result of political frenzy, of power-building with no attempt at understanding. Both camps in the 2004 elections screamed it, the media has fed upon it, and we have believed it. No wonder – it’s the line of least resistance. It has always been easier to judge than to try and understand. In fact, it can be downright satisfying to crow in agreement with like-minded friends, decrying the shallowness and shortsightedness of the others. We have all done it.

But the most amazing process happens when we decide not to distance ourselves from those with whom we disagree, and instead move towards them. If we really listen and try to understand their point of view, we see deeper and deeper into them, and if we are open and honest enough, eventually a door opens onto an incredible discovery: they are just the same as us. They know some things about life, but they know they don’t have all the answers. They have some strong beliefs, but there are questions too. They too are horrified at the state of the world and are passionate about their best ideas for saving it. They crave peace. They want to protect what they love. They have longings, and hurts, and hopes.

This weblog grew out of a small group of people who came together after the 2004 presidential election. We were committed to the idea of finding agreement across the so-called “great divide” that now is said to separate Americans. Religiously, so far we are:

• a born-again Christian
• a Christian who is planning to convert to his wife's faith, Judaism
• an “inclusive Christian” (coined by Marcus Borg to affirm the wisdom of other faiths)
• a minister in the Church of MSIA (The Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness), a non-demonimational church whose members study the inner teachings of Christ, practice meditation and recognize and learn from spiritual masters throughout the ages,
• two self-described “pagans,”
• and a "wondering" Christian who attends a Unitarian church.
  

We are muddling through together—through the mire of prejudice and pure belief—to try and find something closer to the truth. At our first meeting, the liberals amongst us discovered that a “family values” stance is not simply a moral judgment, as some of us had thought. It is most importantly, at least in the context of electoral politics, an opinion on how to create a healthy society. If you believe that families are the basic unit of society, you believe that strong families make for a strong society. As we discovered and considered these ideas, we found ourselves less polarized than we had been before. It seemed almost miraculous.

And so we decided to keep talking and to start this weblog to widen the conversation. If you are inclined, please join us. We ask only that you ground your comments in a fundamental respect for others’ right to their opinions, and that you look not for differences or contradictions, but common ground. May we find it together.