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Side Taking

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I am struck by how often I am confronted with what I have come to think of as the taking sides dilemma. Either President Trump is a good guy who deserves our support and confidence or is a bad guy who we should fear and distrust. Either immigrants are merely harmless people looking for a better life or are dangerous thugs and potential terrorists who are a threat to our families and communities. Either unrestricted access to guns is a benign, constitutional imparitive or is the underlying cause of mass shootings and random violance. Make your choice and then take the side you know is right.

We are thoughtful, logical, reasonable people who are not mindless side takers. We are open minded, take care to consider all perspectives and aspects before making decisions and judgements, and base our choices and conclusions on facts and a clear grasp on reality. We don’t reflexively take sides. Rather, when we take sides, truth, logic, and a firm understanding of conditions and situations guide where we stand.

How well does that work for you? I hope it’s working better for you than it is for me. I struggle with figuring out what is true, what is real, and what does and doesn’t matter. Even if I’m sure that something definitely matters, my struggle isn’t over. It’s not yet time to take sides. I also have to assess just how much it matters in relationship to everything else that matters. …