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What Would Sappho Say?

Lectori Salutem! or L.S. (Greetings to the Reader!)

I know we were all taught as children not to call each other names and we know how much racism hurts us as a culture (or at least I hope those reading this blog do) but there as so many more ways we use labels in our lives that shut us off from groups, from information, and from individuals and if you are anything like me, it takes someone pointing it out every now and then for a real wake up call to happen in your life so change can begin to rebuild your way of interacting in the world.

When I was young and just attending college I thought I was so open-minded because I was liberal and to me the terms were interchangeable. I mean isn’t that what a liberal is supposed to be – tolerant of others no matter who or what they believe in? Uh no. That part was not part of my limited indoctrination into my leftist viewpoints. I was definitely pro-choice and would rally around all women’s rights issues and stand up for any woman, but she had to think like I did if I’m being honest here. I was a narrow-minded liberal as are a majority of the liberals I meet, truth be told, but I was only 18 and I am let’s say 29 now and have grown a bit in my definition of what it means to be a human and a human who is liberal.

Let’s look at the dictionary definitions of the term “liberal”. 1. Open to new behavior and opinions and willing to discard traditional values. 2. Favorable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms. 3. (In a political context) Favoring maximum individual liberty in political and social reform.

Now, how many of the people you know that call themselves liberals abide by the previous definitions? I think the real problems develop with definition two and then I don’t think modern day liberals understand what they are under definition three. Let’s start with definition two because that’s where I was leading before we got to the dictionary. So, by definition liberals are supposed to be respectful and favorable when it comes to ALL individual’s freedoms. Yeah right until you put them in a room with someone who disagrees with them. That’s where the labeling and narrow-mindedness I had as a hotshot college student sets in like the plague.

For many and I have been accused of this before oh so many moons ago (as my friends laugh hysterically at me right now), as soon as someone identifies as a Republican or whatever it is that pushes your button The Beatle’s “Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na , Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye….” starts playing in your head and you can’t wait to get away from this uneducated person or the adrenaline starts pumping like you’ve just met Rocky for a street fight and you can’t wait to school them in the ways of liberal democracy. No wonder no one wants to be around our pompous asses!!!! The same is true for Pro Life “idiots”, a label I use to show extreme thinking, or now for us, its the Religious Wrong on gay marriage. I use these examples to make my point.

We as liberals simply label our opponents on many occasions, especially on issues where we feel that our issue is on the right side of the good of man, forgetting that the other side feels exactly the same way. The problem is, when we do that, we stop the dialogue and you lose contact with people, some really great people who may differ with you one of your button pushing issues but for a compelling reason you’ll never hear because your singing The Beatles and walking away.

To put this in context let me tell you why this was brought up for me yet again. This education of open-mindedness on tough issues is not an overnight operation or done in one sitting. It is a process over a lifetime. I’ve made strides and fallen back then risen again. This time I was called out in of all places church. I had gone to church this Sunday after a lapse of about 4 months since the interim minister had been filling the pulpit. I am a Unitarian Universalist, a supposedly tolerant faith where all religions, including theists, humanists who are basically atheists who believe in the power and goodness of the human being, not a god and regular atheists are welcome as well for the fellowship. Well our congregation is human and labeling happens within our faith as well so the sermon was on labels.

The reason I hadn’t been coming was the Interim minister had been proselytizing a lot about Jesus and the allegories from the Bible. I had labeled him a Christian and felt he was pushing his faith on the rest of us since I am a bit undecided but much more in the Theist/Humanist category than the Christian category (there will be much more on religion this week). He announced early on in the sermon that he was an atheist, a bit of a Humanist but he loved the stories of Jesus and thought the great traditions from the Bible could still teach us much so he used them generously.

Immediately I was mad at him and me. If I had known that information I would have been fine with all of his sermons and probably even enjoyed them as he is a great orator and an intellectual. But I had labeled him and shut him off, I was in a state of disagreement during everyone of those 25 minute sermons so I absorbed nothing. I had done myself a great disservice just as we all do when we let labels get in the way of personal relationships or the words that are carried forth from the so-called opposition. First of all, you can be wrong in your labeling process. Even if I wasn’t wrong, there was knowledge to be gained just by a shift in perspective.

The same is true in politics. Our foes have information we need and want. A civilized dialogue is the only way that societies change. We have to be able to become or opponents friend without the issues defining the relationship because their will be people who are not the issue that you will like, maybe even fall in love with. Politics does make strange bedfellow but first you must open your mind, be a good liberal by all three definitions, and then try and open your heart when you can.

Much Love.

Inspired By Sappho’s Muse

QUOTES OF THE DAY
Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.
Mahatma Gandhi

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.
Pericles