Listening to the other side
I have been listening to, as well as watching, right wing radio and television personalities for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid I used to watch this guy on television who was a far right wing nut, but I enjoyed the drama. I think his name was Joe Pine. Anybody who disagreed with him was labeled a communist. Nowadays we are called socialists. Socialists are people who believe that the money the government collects from it's people should be used to benefit the people....I know, that's a far out left wing concept. But back to my point....Although I disagree with much of what I hear from right wing commentators, I must admit that from time to time, they make some sense about something. Often, I will change my attitude or belief on a particular issue because of the logic presented by the conservative I was listening to. But more often, I listen to keep informed. I believe it's important to know how all sides of an issue are viewed. And even more important than that, I like to know why somebody sees something so different from the way I do. That has always been interesting to me.
Here's the part that I do not understand in all of this, and I'm going to generalize here. What I am going to say is definitely not true about every conservative, it's just a common theme I have noticed over the years. Why is it that conservatives do not like to listen to other points of view? They may listen or read just enough to present an argument, but they really do not want to understand where others are coming from or why they might believe the way they believe. I have never talked to a conservative that watched a Michael Moore movie or Al Gore's documentary, watched Keith Oberman, Bill Maher, or ever listened to air America. Do they really think they are so right that it doesn't matter what another's opinions are? If this is the case, well, that's just plain ignorance.
A few years back my nephew, who is a born again Christian, sent me a book. This Christian intellectual had written a book explaining to other Christians all that is wrong with new age thinking and why it is wrong. My nephew figured that if I read the book, I would understand why my beliefs were so wrong. Let me explain here that I am not a classic new age freak by any means. I do not have crystals, don't care much for astrology, and I don't chant, not that there is anything wrong with any of this, it just doesn't ring my bell. I do however, find a lot of truth in the writings of people like Depok Chopra, Wayne Dyer, and Neal Donald Walsch. I told him that I would read the book if he would read a book that I sent to him, and he agreed. Here was the main difference between us....I understood his positions as a Christian because I lived and studied Christianity for the first twenty years of my life. He never studied what I believed in and I thought a good book would at least give him a basic understanding of my beliefs. I had no intention to try to change him as he always did me. I sent him "Conversations with God", book one.
To make a short story long, I read thru the book he sent me. It was painful reading because there was nothing new in it for me and the author was actually wrong on many of the concepts he was trying to explain in the book. Actually, he didn't know what he was talking about! A week after I sent my book to my nephew, I got it back in the mail with an angry letter that said, in essence, this book was all crap and he wasn't going to waste his time on it. OK, so I sent a letter back to him explaining that the purpose of him reading the book was not for him to believe what it was saying but to understand why people like me might believe some of the things we do. I went on to say that the great general Napoleon studied his enemies, wanted to know how they thought, how they were raised, and what education and war experience they had. He knew that the better he understood his opponent, the better chance he had against them on the battlefield. Since my nephew had always claimed to be a missionary for Christ, one who wanted to change people ways of thinking, I thought it would serve him well to know how others might think, at least in this area. We didn't talk for two years after that exchange.
The point of this story is the same point I take issue with right wing thinkers on. Why are they so resistant to learning about how and why others think differently? Are they afraid they might learn something new? Does it anger them because other people think differently? Or could it be that we get comfortable in one way of looking at the world and do not want to challenge our comfort zone? I guess one answer is that if a certain way of thinking serves you, why change, why even explore or listen to any alternatives? I believe that when you are comfortable with your own reality, when you know who you really are and what you are about, you are not afraid to venture outside the box of your own ideas and beliefs. What can it hurt? You might even learn something. I know I have. I hope that in the name of freedom and all that is holy about this country, that the voices of any and all rationale thinking people, are never silenced and never ignored. Not Rush Limbaugh, not the loudest most obnoxious hellfire pulpit pounding preacher, not any atheist, war protestor, new ager, liberal, conservative, Hollywood leftist, ugly person, green, yellow, red, white, or black person, nobody ever! In fact, we should all listen a little more carefully to each other, and with an open mind and an accepting heart....you never know.
Comments
Joe asks - Why are they so resistant to learning about how and why others think differently? Are they afraid they might learn something new? Does it anger them because other people think differently?
Andy says - I can't help but be critical, again, of how easily you generalize against the people to the "right" of your thinking. Obviously, using your experience with your nephew serves the purpose of making your argument. But again, this argument that you make falls right back to your recent argument regarding "absolutism" vs. "relativism".
As it is, most learned Christians subscribe to the logic behind absolutism, that there is an absolute moral "right" and "wrong" in this universe. Whereas, people who believe in relativism do not, and further believe that there are several truths, logics, and faiths in which to follow. Obviously, it benefits one who believes in relativism to keep searching until one's truth is found.
I was not raised in a church family. I found the Christian faith on my own, as a teenager. Much like yourself, at that age in my life I did very little scripture reading. I understood the basics, but never dug deep into the bible, nor made any significant effort to apply the Christian faith to ALL areas of my daily life. Later, as a young adult, I drifted from my faith, for many years. I became convinced that it was ridiculous to believe in only ONE way to God and heaven. I began to search for meaning via several alternate world religions, mostly new-age and eastern Wayne Dyer & Chopra included). As the years went by, I found myself still empty inside, despite my attempts at following these faiths.
It wasn't until I decided to dig deep into the bible, with history books all around (both secular and biblical) that I finally realized for myself the validity of biblical scriptures. In my own experience, I feel I have gone full circle in this search. To this day, I continue to strengthen my belief in the biblical scripture documents by further study of world religions. The more I learn about other world religions, the more I value Christianity as the true path to know God.
In this light, I agree with you when you suggest that "right wing thinkers" would do well by understanding how and why others believe differently.
Joe's reply....I respect that you have found and are living "your truth", not neccessarily "universal truth", but your truth....and I know that we differ on this. I remember when I was a kid and my Mom would try to force me to eat liver when she made it. I tried, but everything in my body rejected it....the taste, the texture, everything about it was WRONG! It would not go down. But I would not say that liver is bad for everybody. I used to tell my Dad that I just could not go to church anymore, nothing in my soul resinated with any of the teachings, no matter how hard I prayed. So I had to look elsewhere for truth. One day I realized that looking for truth was not the way.
I do not see that there is one way or even many ways to God. I think that we have been asking the wrong questions. I don't see it as needing to find a way to God or truth. I think that we have been missing the whole point and that is that God is not out there to be found. God is the truth of all that exist and needs only to be explored and experienced. When you search for truth, it is like putting a carrot in front of a donkey. You can never find what you already have as long as you are searching for it. Why does God have to be separate from us? I believe that we find God when we look inside to the core of our awareness, that part of us that ignites thoughts and consciousness. That spark of life that is pure being inside, is the part of God that lights us up. We can play any game we want to, to think we are finding God, whatever works, whatever helps us to get thru life. But God never left, He does not need to be found, He is not a separate entity from us or anything else in the universe. We can pray our life away if that is what serves our needs but maybe God is always talking to us, we have just forgotten how to listen. As I write these words, the "truth", or "ideas", or whatever you want to call them, resonates deep inside of me. For me to abandone these thoughts to take up studying scripture and worshipping some entity outside myself, well, it would be like trying to eat liver!
Posted by: Andy | November 5, 2007 09:35 PM
Joe,
As always, great post!! I think it's interesting you bring this up, and I agree. I find that many - not all - right wing thinkers not only refuse to listen to you, but constantly attack your thoughts and want "proof". But when you provide reasoning for your thinking, it's never good enough. It is a problem I am experiencing on my blog these days as well.
I guess the only thing you can do is continue learning and growing, and hoping that through example others will continue to learn and grow as well.
Thanks Meagan, it is frustrating....I have made the point a few times that republicans escalate our national debt, out spend, and create bigger government than democrats do (this is a fact, not an opinion) and not one conservative has ever challenged me or commented on that fact. It goes right over their head and then they turn around and talk about tax and spend democrats. I have presented the fact that republicans talk about government getting out of peoples lives when in fact it is they who lelgislate moralities and try to tell us what is right and wrong for all of us based on their religious beliefs. Frustrating to say the least!
Posted by: meagan dixon | November 6, 2007 02:00 PM
You have answered very good to your nephew and I totally support you for that
you are not a classic new age freak you do not have crystals and don't care much for astrology, and chant more over that you are a good person.
Posted by: Christianity | November 7, 2007 12:46 AM
Joe:
Someone we both know named Janice told me about your blog. So far, it is interesting reading.
I can certainly understand your frustration. I am probably much more conservative than you, but I think there is importance in listening to opposing viewpoints. If your nephew had taken the time to read at least PART of the book, he might have at least known more about your views or perhaps had a position to refute. To issue a blanket dismissal and call it "crap" is a bit much. The Jesus I read about was willing to engage those who disagreed with him.
Although I enjoy listening to Michael Medved and Rush Limbaugh, I have listened to Air America. I won't lie and say I enjoyed it, but I felt that I had an obligation to understand what the other side was saying. I also will frequently go see a movie that is supposed to be "outrageous" or "offensive" like "Priest" of "The Da Vinci Code" because I don't believe I can explain to others what is wrong with a film unless I have seen it and can explain it (the biggest problem with the Da Vinci Code is it was BORING).
When Pope John Paul II entered the conclave that elected him, he was reading communist literature. He knew how to deal with his "enemies" and he knew part of engaging anyone is understanding them.
Best,
RK
Joe's reply....I appreciate your thoughts Robert. Everybodies different and that's ok. Whats not ok with me is when we cannot take the time to understand where each other is coming from. Feel free to comment anytime in the future, thanks again....Joe
Posted by: Robert | November 15, 2007 01:57 PM
i watched the movie version of Conversations with God recently... i appreciate the point that Neale Donald Walsch makes about having freedom to admit that he's not perfect so he can move on from where he is at that point.
Posted by: patrick | March 9, 2008 10:47 AM