Striving to understand other views…

My understanding of current reality is confirmed by others, yet debunked by some.  Things that I see as obvious and immutable are not to everyone.  Out of respect to all, I am striving to understand.

In the stage play “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” Lily Tomlin’s bag lady character says that reality is nothing more than a “…collective hunch.”  Today, however, I feel that the collective hunch is divided and possibly scattered.  Maybe author, Lynn V. Andrews provides a more accurate description on how reality is perceived when she writes that “…each mind is a world unto itself (not sure this is a direct quote as I am recalling this from a book I read about 15 years ago).”

Author William A. Galston writes  in the article “The Populist Challenge to Liberal Democracy (4/17/18 brookings.edu),” that “All to often, liberal democracy is conflated with the spread of cultural liberalism at odds with custom and religion.  The combination of economic dislocation, demographic change, and challenges to traditional values has left many less educated citizens feeling that their lives are outside their control.”  The author suggests that this has created a loss of confidence in liberal democracy, including a loss of confidence in key liberal democratic principles such as, the rule of law, freedom of the press, and minority rights; consequently, this opens the door for authoritarianism.  We are witnessing these authoritarian tendencies in our current president and to my bewilderment not everyone is objecting.

Galston attributes this loss of confidence in liberal democracy and by insinuation the election of an authoritarian leaning president to the less educated citizens of our country.  This leads me to question why are there a multitude of educated people supporting this president and denouncing liberal democracy?  I don’t know why.  Maybe it’s money and/or power that makes them willing to belie their true values.  This complete disregard for the truth makes it really difficult for those of us who are in search of the truth.

Some hold on to what they think is the truth and refuse to assess its validity.  Validating the truth is hard work and not everyone is willing to do it.  Some are benefiting by not telling the truth at the expense of those who are not willing to validate the truth.  We all need to strive to understand other views and to meet in the middle and create a government for the people by the people, all people.