4.23.2008

Is There A Place For Folks Like Me?

I'm really wondering this right now. I used to be a staunch Democrat. Now I have seen the corruption of the entire party, the entire process. I have concluded that left or right, we will continue to have war. War is, afterall, good for business, good for the banks who rely on debt to stay operational. We will continue to have poverty. Big Business will continue to take precedent over the people.

If people really want change, they will talk about a new party and/or a new system. Fixing what's already in place isn't possible. Well, ok it's possible, but it would take nothing short of the most bizarre miracle ever to occur in our history as a species. And a lot of lives would be lost in the process. We've had enough of that.

So where do I belong? When I've talked about the democratic party, I've been accused of being a right-wing neo-con. When I've talked about global climate change and questioned the cause (not the reality of it), I've been accused of the same thing. When I have talked about poverty and hunger, I'm labeled a socialist or a communist or a liberal. When I've talked about things like 9/11 and the lies surrounding it, about this bogus war on terror, about this criminal war on drugs, I've been attacked from both sides as being either unpatriotic or a conspiracy nut.

I was going to write up a synopsis on the Federal Reserve and what I have been learning about this rather mysterious "agency". But I figured what I would present would be largely ignored by the left or ridiculed by the right.

Doesn't anyone keep a mind open enough anymore to embrace ANY new information? Any information that deviates away from their current little mold box they are standing in?

I'm always in search of the truth, always exploring, always looking at various sides to certain issues. Sure, that means at times I'm a fence-sitter. It means I may believe one thing one day and then a week later, I have altered my thoughts somewhat (my views on poverty are even changing!). I believe that's a healthy way to live. Unfortunately, my experience has been those who celebrate being either "left" or "right", "liberal" or "conservative" or whatever label they apply to themselves, fail in some way to live this way.

I'm discovering that the less I cling to something, the less I want to fight. I'm so much more than what I think, so much more than my opinions. If we were all to go to that "place" more often, if the majority of us would, private and public citizen alike, we wouldn't need the labels. We wouldn't need to fight. We'd simply remember those things we learned in kindergarten: Share your toys and cookies. Pick up after yourself. Apologize when you've hurt someone. And hold the hand of the person nearest you when you cross the street.

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