It strikes me that people who subscribe to the right-wing of politics and the ones who subscribe to the left-wing of politics both have a problem. And if you are a centrist, then you may have both.
The issue is one of compassion and empathy, or lack there of.
Being interested politics somewhat and the impact it has on society at large, at a local, national and international levels – I hear a lot of the rhetoric used by different sides of the political spectrum and listen to debates and see social media streams.
It seems that the right has a clear lacking of empathy. There is very little empathy shown for anyone but themselves. And by that I don’t even mean the people in their corner – just for they themselves and probably their loved ones. There is not much empathy for anyone else outside this circle.
They seem to find comfort in finding other people who feel like them, about their own, and largely don’t spend time worrying or thinking about everyone else. This manifests ultimately in a despising of the left, who outwardly display their outpouring of empathy. I’m not sure respect exists for the ‘other side’.
The left, on the other hand, consistently demonstrate that they have a lot of both compassion and empathy for others. Even if they themselves do not experience the trials and tribulations of others, they are quite proud of the fact that they can empathise and fight their corner.
Lefties view of the right is one of despair, but they are quite careful that this does not descend into disrespect. Mutual respect is something they hold dear, even if its for the side they are opposing.
Simply having respect for the opposing side is not sufficient, in my opinion. The empathy the left espouses at every turn needs extending to the opposing side too. You see, respect is not the same as empathy. It is not sufficient simply to be courteous to someone if you want a better world. An ability to empathise with those you disagree with provides you with an opportunity to learn how they view the world and its issues from their side, how it makes them feel, and what is important to them. Simply having respect for them doesn’t do this.
For the right, I feel they mistrust the world around them. And it is out of this instinct to protect (and work for the betterment of) ones self from the world that limits the size of their empathy circle. How can you empathise with others, if you see them with mistrust?
Those that consider themselves centrist probably suffer from the same issues but perhaps less intensely in some matters and more in others.
Trying to empathise with people you disagree with, is the start towards having a better society from which we all benefit. Compassion comes naturally thereafter and as compassion develops and envelops society, we all learn to become better versions of ourselves and become more than the sum of our parts.
Lofty statements I know, but we’ve got to start somewhere.