Moderates are sometimes said not to have an opinion about anything.
Those who steer to far to the left or the right, however, are accused of being too extreme, even fanatics.
So, how is one to get ahead in the game of politics when facing this no-win scenario?
First, one has to realize politics are everywhere and not just problems that face men and women who dress in navy blue suits.
If you are in an argument where there are two or more opinions, you are dealing with politics. In some cases, you could even say politics are involved in the types of restaurants you like to go to.
In my experience, the person who can find middle ground is the person who will excel the most in his or her political career.
Even if it's not a political career that you are after, or if you can find the compromise in a situation, that is a quality not everybody has.
There are always going to be extreme positions to a problem, but it's the person who can see the potential in both solutions that typically becomes the leader.
There are exceptions to this theory. If you remain completely moderate, then you will start to get the image I mentioned earlier of not taking a side on anything. Giving up your principles is not the way to reach a solution, and if you find yourself doing that, then you need to re-evaluate the purpose of your position, whatever that may be.
If you are a manager or leader of your organization, your employees or members aren't looking for somebody who acts as a martyr. They want somebody who stands up for their best interests.
Some of you may have heard the phrase "majority rule, minority rights." Often times this is how it works in America. From my perspective this is usually an effective and logical solution. Fanaticism, however, is one evil that works against this policy.
Fanaticism is extremely dangerous, and history has proved this. Hitler is one example that epitomizes this danger. Right-winged conservatives and southern dixiecrats have been accused of being fanatics among those in their own respective parties. The difference is that the moderates in each party have the ability to obtain the "majority rule" but still maintain "minority rights."
Before you jump to any conclusions about whether you agree or disagree with my philosophy, take a look around at the people around you. I'd be willing to bet you'll find a difference between the "leaders" and the "members" of most organizations around this campus.
Ask someone where he or she stands on a highly controversial issue. In most cases you'll find the "leaders" will try to give you the pros and cons of both sides, while a "member" will give you a direct opinion.
These are the politics of life. You live with it every day whether you want to or not. It's up to you to decide where you want your life's political career to go.
Write to Justin at jtsyndram@bsu.edu
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