Balanced Political Thinking
Politics has been moving in a tribal direction for decades. The 2016 election drove people further from the middle. News sources, social media platforms and divisive conversations continue to push people apart and cause unbalanced political thinking. America needs people to fight the tide and be expansive and more balanced in their political thinking. Balanced thinking helps us realize we are actually closer to each other politically than the extremes would have us believe.
Below are examples of unbalanced thinking seen regularly in political conversations, from the White House to Twitter, from coffee shops to political pulpits. You can easily find examples of the “other side” doing each of these things. Can you identify it in your side or even in yourself? If we want to be part of the solution, we must question our own thinking and avoid these traps that feed unbalanced thinking.
I am offended by the hypocrisy of the other party and its members, but I see no hypocrisy in my party or myself.
My party is driven by love, and the other party is driven by evil and greed.
I come undone when I feel the other side is getting a pass, but I routinely give my party leaders a pass.
I belittle, demean, other, and objectify members of the other party.
EVERYTHING my party and party leaders do is acceptable or great. But EVERYTHING the other party does is wrong.
I am filled with hate and disgust when I hear what members of the other party are doing, thinking and feeling.
I exaggerate the importance of the slights or wrongs of the other party.
I believe there is only one way to do things right.
I don’t hold myself and members of my party to the same standards I demand of the other party.
If the other party did X and I hated it, it is fair if my party then does X.
I believe my party’s ideals come from God, the universe or some higher place.
I am loyal to my party and its causes by not calling out the inconsistencies and unbalanced thinking and behavior I see among my party leaders. I only call out those of the other party.
The unbalance comes from any and all of these lines of thinking. Believing that your side has the monopoly on love, fairness, kindness or Americanism is short-sighted and small-minded, which is likely the opposite of who you are trying to be. Unbalanced thinking halts collaboration, problem-solving and satisfactory results.
Challenging your political thoughts can be difficult, especially if you are in a rut, on autopilot or in an echo chamber created by your social platforms. If you want to move your side’s ideas forward faster, being fair-minded will help you make great strides. People will take you far more seriously on the political front if you can challenge problems on all sides. Be loyal to America before your party. If you want to fill your life, your neighborhood and your world with more peace, balance out your political thinking.