Chris, you and i are in violent agreement as they say. First, and I obviously failed to make this clear, I think both sides and all sides are responsible for thoughtful behaviour. Neither party has a monopoly on anything. We had someone at the College, you knew him, who saw himself entitled because he was 'more educated' so the mere military could do more work, thus enabling him to think. Uh, NO!!
Yes, the synergy of positions and beliefs is the essence of a democracy as long as we allow others to have theirs when no one kills people with the other views. Thank you so much for taking time to respond so thoughtfully. We can make this work but we have to be willing to do so. Right now too many of us are not.
It’s been a while since I’ve commented, but your piece ‘entitlement and civilized society’ caused a fair amount of thought and reflection. My sister and I just visited my ailing Dad in England. So we had a lot of time to chat… she is right of the political spectrum and I left. But neither are declared ‘Democratic or Republican.’ Yes, I believe you can be conservative and not a Republican (vice versa too). Sorry… had to throw that in there….
We are in total agreement that we have a “gun problem” in the US… we just disagree on the way to fix it. I believe that for most of us, this is representative the issues facing us today. As you mentioned, and what is problematic, is when people cannot reach across the isle to work through these issues. They actually don’t want to be in the same room! When we’re able to work together, our differences make us stronger as we seek solutions. To me, this is a crucial element that is often missing…
I like to reflect on two pillars of the Supreme Court; justices Ginsburg and Scalia. Even though they had very different views, they were able to work together. Both were dedicated to the constitution, court, and our country. I would argue that because of this, they brought great strength to the court. They would share drafts of each others opinions, thus allowing for each to strengthen their argument. And… they actually really enjoyed each other’s company (food and opera!). They truly exemplify what we sorely need more of today.
Chris, you and i are in violent agreement as they say. First, and I obviously failed to make this clear, I think both sides and all sides are responsible for thoughtful behaviour. Neither party has a monopoly on anything. We had someone at the College, you knew him, who saw himself entitled because he was 'more educated' so the mere military could do more work, thus enabling him to think. Uh, NO!!
Yes, the synergy of positions and beliefs is the essence of a democracy as long as we allow others to have theirs when no one kills people with the other views. Thank you so much for taking time to respond so thoughtfully. We can make this work but we have to be willing to do so. Right now too many of us are not.
Hi Cynthia,
It’s been a while since I’ve commented, but your piece ‘entitlement and civilized society’ caused a fair amount of thought and reflection. My sister and I just visited my ailing Dad in England. So we had a lot of time to chat… she is right of the political spectrum and I left. But neither are declared ‘Democratic or Republican.’ Yes, I believe you can be conservative and not a Republican (vice versa too). Sorry… had to throw that in there….
We are in total agreement that we have a “gun problem” in the US… we just disagree on the way to fix it. I believe that for most of us, this is representative the issues facing us today. As you mentioned, and what is problematic, is when people cannot reach across the isle to work through these issues. They actually don’t want to be in the same room! When we’re able to work together, our differences make us stronger as we seek solutions. To me, this is a crucial element that is often missing…
I like to reflect on two pillars of the Supreme Court; justices Ginsburg and Scalia. Even though they had very different views, they were able to work together. Both were dedicated to the constitution, court, and our country. I would argue that because of this, they brought great strength to the court. They would share drafts of each others opinions, thus allowing for each to strengthen their argument. And… they actually really enjoyed each other’s company (food and opera!). They truly exemplify what we sorely need more of today.