As someone who has been labeled an idealist on countless occasions, I have often found myself on the political and economic left of most issues, and on the fringes of many debates. The thing that sets me apart from many others is my strong desire to avoid becoming complacent under one label or ideology. I am not afraid to contradict myself or to change my stance on things when new information presents itself to me.
I love building consensus and working as a group but I am always resistant to group think that takes place in all groups to some extent.
I’m the same with my spirituality. I have a certain kind of faith but it’s grounded in observation and experiences, sometimes even experimentation.
Despite all this, I’m an idealistic person. I believe people are capable of such astounding kindness, fairness, and beauty...I also think the very same people are capable of creating a hell on earth.
Unlike most, I don’t think it’s the ideology that is responsible for one or the other as much as our emotional state, our openness, discernment and our ability or inability (due to biases) to take all factors into account.
Our ability to see clearly stems from our willingness to step outside our own perspective.
This is not something we can do just because we want to do it. It is a skill that needs to be cultivated and one that I am always working on. That’s why I find myself becoming more and more moderate. As I attempt to step out of my own biases, I look at things less in terms of right and wrong and I can assess things less emotionally.
It’s easy to call someone evil if they have hurt you. It’s easy to say they are part of the problem if they support something that hasn’t worked in your favor. But sometimes we are to blame as much as a corrupt system. Sometimes we think we know what works when we really don’t. Sometimes we want something to be true so much that we insist that it is, even when there is evidence to the contrary.
Everyone has justifications for what they do and what they believe
Almost everyone out there believes that what they are doing is right and they are justified in their actions. Sometimes it requires very funky logic or worldview, but people are not entirely random creatures. They act according to their beliefs.
So when I see both sides of an argument blaming each other, I feel there is not enough introspection. Sometimes one side is more in the wrong...but the solution lies in understanding of what motivates people and being able to isolate the aspects of things that we don’t like, not to oversimplify things into this=good, that=bad.
I know this isn’t going to make everyone happy to hear but sometimes I feel like an “anti-establishment” view of the world is the current trend. It’s really easy to jump on to this way of thinking, and it’s one I’ve been riding my whole life. There are certainly a ton of valid point to be made, and in some ways, I still would like to see certain institutions eroded or reform.
I’ve always had an optimistic view of human nature. I also know how piss poor we are at imagining how we would feel in completely different situations. Chances are , your utopia is further away than you think.. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It doesn’t mean you should stop working towards it.
The point is, just because something isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean abolishing it completely is going to have a better result. Sometimes these things we don’t like balance each other out in a way that prevents things from being even worse. Sometimes tearing everything that’s imperfect down will result in utter disaster that is even harder to recover from.
A good example of this is Egypt after the Arab spring. I’m not sure but you may say there was manipulation by foreign forces, and that’s exactly my point. Once you tear down the status who completely, the dark ugly things that have been waiting in the corner all come out.
The major change I’ve gone through is essentially forfeiting this belief that in order to make a better world, we need to start from scratch. I am able to appreciate the progress we have made as a species without completely forgiving all transgressions. I don’t assume the worst just because things aren’t ideal. I don’t demonize people just because I don’t like everything they’ve done.
If the left thinks the right is evil and the right thinks the left is evil, chances are, you are going to find me in the middle because I want to learn from everyone and everything. I don't particularly like Elon Musk, and I think he could just as easily destroy the world as save it, but it doesn't mean I think everything he does is bad, and there is a lot I admire about him. Would I like to live in a world where he has less power? Sure! I think the way we get there is by learning from the good he has to offer, while simultaneously being ready to reject the bad.
The same goes for a system or philosophy.
I feel society is still too rigid and unforgiving, but at the same time, by trying to adapt to it over the past 2 years, I’ve become a much better version of myself. I don’t think the rags to riches story works for everyone and I don’t believe in letting people be to face whatever hardships they may face...but now I believe that we grow from trying our best, and sometimes the system, harsh as it can be, pushes us to try harder.
I want a world where we all put in effort to become better and stronger, but can still be compassionate enough to take care of each other. I no longer assume to know exactly what system will work, but I do think it will take elements from both sides. We can experiment and take it one step at a time, growing as we go along.
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