This or That?

Life is complicated. There are so many choices and opportunities and subtle nuances to it that it’s ridiculous in so many circumstances we are sort of forced to make “either this or that” choices or take “with me or against me” stances on issues.

But that’s where we are. It comes up in politics all the time. You’re either Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, etc. There’s no room for a sliding scale. And people get upset when someone dares to disagree.

Imagine if all the world were like that! Ice cream? You can have chocolate or vanilla. Trucks? You can either have Ford or Chevy. While it’s true that those probably cover a majority of people, it doesn’t (and it shouldn’t) cover everyone. Maybe you like strawberry? Maybe you like Dodge? Maybe, God forbid, you like a nice chocolate and vanilla swirl?

That’s the thing. That’s how most people really are. We’re not all 100 “red state” or 100 percent “blue state” but various shades of “purple.” Why can’t someone be socially conservative but politically liberal? Or the other way around? Are there any pro-choice Republicans? Probably, but there’s no way they can really say that without incurring the wrath of their party. Just like there are no doubt pro-life Democrats (like me), but that’s just not how it works in the “black or white” two-party world.

That’s where we are. And the far left is pulling the middle in their direction, while the far right is pulling the middle in their direction and you know what’s eventually going to happen if we don’t start pulling in the same direction?

Everything is going to get ripped apart.