Dichotomies...

There is a board I like to frequent that is made for Mom's and parenting, but of course I only go to the debate board part since my daughter was actually born LOL! I love to debate, it is a strength and a flaw. It is a strength because when I put my mind to it I can express myself well and make my way of thinking understandable at least; if not something you would agree with, and I can pull information out of other people so I can understand a point of view other than my own. A flaw is, people would often think the real reason I love to debate is to try to change people's minds or to beat my way into winning an argument, but really it isn't, I just have a really really strong verbal side and a pushy debate style. I have tried to reform both since it was first pointed out to me starting at about 8 yo(seriously my gifted teacher told my parents I would have no friends LOL, because I made the smarter kids feel like I thought they were stupid, though I knew they were smarter and I felt intimidated...go figure).

Anyways, my point is I like to debate because I have to always know what makes people tick. The more I disagree the harder I fight, because the more I disagree, the less I understand, so the harder I push to get a glimpse of something I can work with to get why you think so different than me. I push harder to get another piece, so I can find the next tack to push on to get another piece. Of course I would love people to bask in my brilliance and change their minds (I am being sarcastic!), but really I just want to grok what people mean. If I understand really why someone feels the way they do, and how they think, and what logic they used, and anything else I may wonder about their thought process at 1 am when I can't sleep, I usually let it go, unless of course it is Presidential Election time, if so you should avoid me the whole year, I am a broken record that has the jaws of a pit bull LOL.

Well to continue the babble....

I am so progressive it is a bit silly, I know it is who I am, but I wonder sometimes...how can I be so much one way on everything, surely the other side has points, I must be missing something, I should be more mixed in my approach...but I haven't been able to change my mind on anything yet...and I am really liberal in my spirituality...

so of course I always wrangle with the conservative and more religious people of the world. And more and more the farther and farther Bush's residency goes and the farther and farther the Iraq War goes on, the more and more entrenched I become. It seems I am losing my joy in finding out why people think the way I do. And also a bit less joy in the diversity of opinions. In the US things are so divided and the lines really are so clear...I don't know where to even begin to reach across! I have found people I respect who are so opposed with me on almost everything I find of any value...but once we get out of generalities it is hard to figure out where to go with things...

So I think I have made very little sense in a coherent fashion. My big pondering tonight is how is a common ground found when things have become so dichotomous with so little room (and really no leaders) for a common ground?

One conservative friend gave me hope from her staying very conservative and still almost completely opposite to me in her approach to every issue...but changing her mind on one to the same way I see it. She changed her mind for all her own reasons and info she found on her own...but it gives me a glimmer of hope. And makes me want to look into myself to see where maybe I have hardened my thoughts to changing my mind becuase well I slid into it and everyone who thinks like me agrees...and to see if there is a place where my mind may be able to change....will keep you all updated as I know the whole 5 of you or so who may ever stumble across here will be holding your breath until the next installment!
Kat