One of the more important values we can have is empathy.
That is, having the ability to identify with and understand another person's feelings. Empathy is where you can be discussing a heated topic with a colleague or friend, and although you disagree on the topic in particular, you have a civil understanding and respect for one another.
Both sides of the political aisle have those members who have no political empathy.
The first group to come to mind is the extremists in the fight against abortion. These are not the people who walk in peaceful marches and share their view of children being considered alive from moment of conception. The ones who hurt the process are those who lash out and try to kill those who stand in opposition to them in Planned Parenthood centers and similar clinics. In the past they have been the ones to blow up these clinics and kill the men and women who work there.
The left too has the extremists who hurt us all as a nation.
The most major group to come to mind are those who do not just scream and shout against the war on terror but take on violent roles themselves. The example that comes to mind is from March when protesters set bombs outside of a military recruiting station in Times Square. It was one of the more extreme outbursts of anti-war protesters our nation has seen.
These people are sad because they lack the skill of communication. To solve anything, we need communication above all else. Calm communication can solve most any problem that we have thrown our way.
Personally, I have changed my political views more times that I care to admit in my time in college.
Not all of the changes were dramatic or large in scale, but they were indeed changes. A good friend of mine has a distinct talent for dragging people outside of the political window they associate themselves with. He does it respectfully though, with empathy for your position, which makes the change in your new point of view that much more noticeable.
Expose yourself openly to new opinions. It is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your political self. When we associate with those who agree with us, it is enjoyable, but it is not a challenge. We do it already as a part of our very nature.
We associate with those who agree with us. Yes, every group of friends has the member who is unlike them. That's not what I'm talking about.
Nobody associates with those they fiercely dislike simply out of a desire for comfort. Step out of your comfort zone. You will more than likely learn something about yourself when you take this chance.
If the activists who attack abortion clinics could sit down and at the very least empathize with people who have gone to these clinics, both sides would leave a little more enlightened. If the anti-war bombers could sit down with a group of veterans who support the war, all of them could very possibly learn from the other side.
Our political views should always be ready to change. Nothing is for certain in this world. Anything and everything can change in a moment and tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Why should our opinions be any different?
The moment we stop listening to other people is the moment we die politically.
Write to Alex at apcarroll@bsu.edu
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