The Great Divides

I have some pretty strongly held opinions about things.  If you look at my blog posts from several months ago, you will have a pretty good idea of which way I slant in terms of political and economic debate.  I have read a lot about politics and economics.  And, I have engaged in a lot of debate, and spent a lot of time thinking about those topics.  I say that to reasure you that my opinions are not thoughtlessly or casually held.

But, isn't it interesting that other people, people who appear to be of normal intelligence and average ability, much like myself, can hold opinions or belief systems totally different than mine.  And in many cases, not just totally different, but completely the opposite of mine.  For instance, I just finnished listening to President Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope."  I enjoyed the stories he told about his life, they helped me understand him better.  However, I found myself disagreeing with every political and economic argument he made.  I just think he is plain wrong.  But, he, and many others, think that he is right on.

I don't think that we have dealt with this issue very well as a country over the last many years.  There are too many people living here to expect that we will all see things the same way.  There is no need make somebody your enemy, just because they have different political, economic, or even religous idea than you have.