Labeling Rights

Who defines who you are? How do you come to understand who and what you are in the broader context of society? Is it you? Or is it another person, or group?

It has taken me a long time – decades – to get a handle on who and what I am. There are so many dimensions to personhood to think about before coming to any conclusions. And then the conclusions are perhaps temporary as new data/information/realizations bombard me and upset the balance that defines me at any given moment.

For the most part I am an independent thinking person, active in community, concerned with issues that help me understand how our nation and globe is getting along. I read broadly gathering informational inputs to my process of understanding. Along the way I form opinions, minor conclusions, short cuts that help me remember key elements to an emergent understanding and conclusion.

This process provides room to grow in appreciation of diversity. So many people. So many minds. So many differing points of view. None all-controlling or correct. Each containing wisdom or points too important to throw away. Accommodating the community’s right to express itself singly and jointly.

There are moments, however, which require us to make a decision on an issue and say –“this is where I stand at this moment” – and then move on. Paralysis by analysis can abide only so long. We must move on. Once decided in my mind, I usually hang on to that mindset/position for some time. I still listen to other opinions but will quickly shut them off if they are not respectful or logical. Occasionally a new wrinkle alters my opinion a bit, broadens it, but in the main my position remains somewhat stable.

Thus my point of view is not wishy washy; I maintain a certain level of consistency. But an opening to fresh thinking is maintained as well.

Having said that, it bothers me to be labeled by another person. I can label myself, thank you! I am an independent, ex Republican (of 3 decades now!), not quite a Democrat (but sympathetic currently), middle of the roader. I am not conservative nor liberal. I am in between. Solidly.

Of course to a far right wing conservative that makes me a raving liberal! On the other hand, to a hard left ideologue I am quite conservative. Both views of me are very off base. And rightly so.

Trouble is there are many who attempt to make public policy decisions based on their understanding of where public opinion is. At any given moment that opinion is static; the next moment registers movement to another position. It doesn’t remain the same for long.

No, public policy development needs to be based on solid core values broadly shared by its society. Focusing the policy narrowly helps accomplish this. More broad gets into troubled waters quickly. Keep it simple and focused.

It cannot be conservative or liberal or identifiably belonging to any ideological camp. It must be based on fact and logic. Perhaps that is why I am a middle of the road political ideologist. I borrow from many camps of thinking to arrive at workable conclusions in my mind. I avoid extreme positions unless frustrated and ill-tempered at the moment.

We have to get along well enough with each other to manage the main affairs of our nation. Making no decision is not governance. Making rigid decisions is despotism perhaps, but not American governance. No, we need to make reasonable decisions in a timely manner with lots of monitoring for intended results so we can modify method when necessary. Pretty reasonable approach, right?

Well, others would disagree. They would say this approach is too accommodating and not based on core values. Following the approach, they would say, would lead to our straying off historical principles.

You see where this is going. Indecision. Unwillingness to give an inch. Argument rather than discussion. Debate rather than concerted effort to understand differing points of view. If we cannot hear each other we cannot understand the points we must grasp in order to make compromise. Compromise: a stasis of understanding upon which decisions can be made and work can proceed in an intentional manner.

No compromise, no movement. Gridlock. That pretty much describes our state capital and that of Washington DC. It is not pretty. It is ugly. And we are not hearing each other. Too many entrenched points of view. Too much power and money entrenching the ideologues. Not enough work getting done. Our work. The work of the nation.

Without that work, the decisions, the compromise, our country teeters toward…what? Abyss?

How did we get here? How do we move on to a future that avoids gridlock?

We might start with allowing each other to self label. Don’t assume we know enough about the other party to assign labels. Listen carefully to each other. Build bridges between each person, each point of view. Nurture this process. It helps us be polite, civil and constructive. The opposite is too much apparent.

I am a middle of the road independent. I am a centrist independent American. I am a patriot. I am…….

March 5, 2012