I have also demonstrated conclusively to myself that my beliefs and opinions can change. For example, I was very much pro death penalty in my youth. Two things happened to change my mind. One, too many cases (all it takes is one, but there are a lot more than that) had a person on death row that was exonerated by new analysis of evidence. Two (and most importantly), I was called to be a potential juror in a capital case. After a LOT of soul searching, talking to my mother (who has a masters in christian education...aka, super sunday school teacher), and talking to my uncle by marriage (a judge on his tribe's supreme court) who is one of the people I respect most in this world, I now believe that the death penalty is retribution, not justice and I can not support it. That does not mean let them go free, but that's a different discussion.... (for those wanting to know, the defendant made a deal and there was no trial)
The point of what I've said so far is that I am willing to re-examine what I believe and change those beliefs if someone can create a sufficient case for it (of if I can make a sufficient case for it myself)
All this said, I think that too many people...on BOTH sides of the isle... are controlled by the fringes/most activist portion of their parties. WE keep sending the most extreme people to state and federal offices and then expect them to get along. I also believe the art of the deal has died in Washington these days. It's either my way or the highway from both parties. Now, SOME politicians do have tried to reach out and make compromises, most have not. Unfortunately, those that do reach out...especially those in leadership positions...are often pilloried by the vocal minority (and most extreme) members of their own party for doing so.
I also think that some of the more recent presidents (and not just the last one), have forgotten that they represent all Americans and they need to work for all Americans. It's not enough that you got enough electoral votes, you also need to represent those that voted for your opponent. You need to listen to them, understand their concerns, and work with them to address them, just as you work with the members of your own party. I hope that by doing so, you can satisfy at least 70-80 percent of all Americans (I recognize that some are just so far to either side that nothing you do will be happy)
Finally, I believe that with the rise of the internet and especially social media, the ability to sound off on a topic immediately has lead to knee-jerk reactions by most people...."That pisses me off and I am going to give them a piece of my mind right now"....type of reaction. No considered words, no going and thinking about it. This in turn throws more oxygen and fuel on the fire, resulting in more and more incivility towards each other. This kind of acting like children and saying "well, I don't like what happened so I want to take my ball and go home" just because the other side won the election needs to stop. It needed to stop when it was Texas saying it, it needs to stop now as California and Oregon say it.
In the end, it is my hope that people will realize they are burning down their own house and that they need to stop adding fuel to the fire and start trying to put it out. I hope that people will be able to calmly and rationally discuss the issues that face them and also realize that their opinion is not the only valid one. I hope that people can once again see others views as being equal to their own, and will work together to achieve common goals and can reasonably compromise on polarizing issues so that both sides win.
