I found out tonight that Michelle Connolle (the President of Eagles for Life and the Young Conservatives of North Texas) is a HUGE Star Wars fan. Being a Star Wars fan myself, I had to laugh that someone with such complete opposite views on social and political issues would share similar interests as me.

But then I got to thinking, too often, we (and I'm CERTAINLY included) see people as issues instead of people. At the end of the day, we're all just people. One thing that I think happens to anyone who gets involved in politics, is that they start viewing the other side as "issues." And I think that's dangerous. It turns "people" into a series of black and white issues, when people are much more complex than the issues we choose to believe in.

And I need only look at my political heroes to re-enforce my belief that there is so much more to people than whom we vote for. I find it hard to believe that Ghandi, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King jr, etc would not welcome "the other side" with open arms. That's true compassion.

And I also need only to look at my family. There are tons of issues that I don't agree with many members of my family about. But I get along GREAT with them.

Liberals and Conservatives tend to block the other side from associating with them, and view that as political gain. That isn't political gain, it's just plain old closed mindedness.

more on this later

matt out