Being 'different' is, well, just that. Not better, not
worser, just different. (And, yes,
Rainy Day knows there is no such word as 'worser' but she likes it, so there!)
Several things came across Rainy Day's computer screen in
the last few months stating, usually in a humorous way, that Democrats and
Republicans are different (well, shut the front door!). These emails stated the
differences were in the brain, but none of them cited reputable sources. Rainy
Day smiled, shared a few and then forgot about them.
The other night, Rainy Day was watching one of her favorite
commentators who mentioned studies showing the differences in the brain. Hmmmmmm.
And then Rainy Day saw Don Lemon talk with a psychologist Dr. Wendy Lee Walsh
and she mentioned studies showing differences in the amygdalas of Conservatives
and Liberals. So, Rainy Day went to her BFF Google, and googled "amygdalas
and conservatives v. liberals" and was surprised at the number of pages
that came up. Bazillions.
And the number of scientific papers, complete with
citations. She read a few, and settled on the one at ProCon.org because it shows all the citations which were peer-reviewed studies that do,
indeed, show liberals and conservatives are physiologically different one from
the other. All this time, Rainy Day believed if your family was conservative,
you would be too – that it was more a cultural thing.
ProCon lists 16 differences on their page and gives a
summary of each, with all the peer-reviewed studies on the subject they could
find. If you know of more, they would like you to tell them.
Conservatives and Liberals are different, and it's apparently
hardwired. Knowing that, and knowing the hows and the whys, maybe, just maybe,
armed with that knowledge, and a willingness to accept the differences, we can
stop trying to convert each other, and instead try to find common ground.
One ground we hold in common is we all love this Country. We
should also all love and respect each other, even though we're 'different' one
from the other. A good way to begin is to trust that we both want what is best,
to respect each other and each other's rights and opinions even though we may
disagree. And, as Robert Fulgum taught us in his book, All I Really Need to Know I
learned in Kindergarten, hold hands and look both ways before crossing
the street. And share your cookies;-)
Rainy Day spent time in the Military, and on four separate
occasions she raised her right hand and gave an oath to die, if need be, to
defend our Constitution. She took that oath very seriously. Although no longer
in the military, she holds the words of Voltaire close to her heart and tries
to live by them, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it."
In Rainy Day's church, a song is sung as the children leave
the sanctuary to go to Sunday School – Go Now In Peace:
Go
now in peace
Go
now in peace
May
the Spirit of Love surround you
Everywhere,
everywhere
You
may go.
Rainy Day asks you to take her hand, and the hand of your
neighbor (literally or virtually), and go now in peace, look both ways before
crossing the street, and let's laugh and play, and work together for the good
of all. (Remember, it's a small planet, and we got nowhere else to go!)
No comments:
Post a Comment