Maybe in time we'll stop - perhaps lines will blur and issues not seem so black and white - or maybe we will simply have had enough and wake to a single unity of purpose. There's hope. There's always hope. I guess most would call me a liberal. There are issues of social consciousness that I hold dearly. I believe the globe is warming and the environment is sacred. I don't care if men marry men and women marry women. There are hundreds of issues I'm sure that would classify me as a liberal. Yet I would prefer not to be placed within that box. Or any box. I'm not anti- conservative and I don't want to be mentally dismissed for my beliefs and I do not wish to dismiss anyone for their own. There are many issues that could be debated where I'm sure I could find common ground with a conservative - if I listen with care, with respect and with empathy. Empathy is important here because the bottom line becomes one of simply wanting what we feel is best for our country, for our community and families and for ourselves. We're not enemies. We just disagree. It's the labels that cause friction. Think of me as a neighbor, a friend, or another concerned citizen with views others than your own and we have a bond to dialogue. Drop the labels and we're more alike than not - we've both known suffering and defeat as well and victory and elation. We're humans. We're sharing a world. That's enough to make you my friend.
Peace,
Eric
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