25 Oct
Election time seems to bring to the surface our most cerebral ideals, and our basest fears. I find myself thinking a little deeper about how the world works, human nature, and what my part in it all is in the midst of all the rhetoric. Yet, like most people, I get frustrated by the posturing and divisiveness. It serves to strengthen my resolve towards what I call “radical moderation.” The problem with moderation is that while many people find it logical and attractive in a neutral setting, it’s not sexy enough to be attractive in the heat of hyped up grand-standing and fear-mongering. It’s easy to lose sight of reason when our fears are being played upon.
I came across this video the other day, that speaks to this idea, and just makes me feel better about my introverted self. What I find very appealing is that it makes a case for the benefits of introversion, without dismissing the benefits of extroversion. It’s also interesting to see how the “loudest voice” doesn’t necessarily equate to the strongest ideas.
Hmm, balance. Attractive. This is where we can call moderation “radical.” Even though living a life of balance may seem blasé, it may be more radical than the alternative. It’s natural for those in need of attention and support to capitalize on aspects that seem to polarize them from the opposition. In this way, they define themselves as other, or different, and therefore better. This generates more excitement (and fear) than seeking common ground. So, in reality, being moderate, becomes a “radical” stance, in contrast to polarizing ideals, that ultimately serve to cohere large groups of people around points at the outskirts of any given spectrum.
And all of the debates leave me thinking of another classic video.
So hopefully, as we cast our votes this year, and even more importantly, as we live our lives, we’ll stop to think about why we believe what we do, how best to act upon it, and what the real costs are for our ideals and actions. I think that when we stop to consider these things, we find that balance and moderation provide the most effective path to healthy hearts, minds, and communities.
CREDITS: I came across the RSA illustrated TED talk on introverstion via the wonderful http://www.brainpickings.org/. And was reminded of the Monty Python sketch by the funny, and more intellegent than I can understand Paul Krugman http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/ The Featured Title image is from the wonderful Barnett Newman entitled: Onement III.
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