Political discourse

"Discussions should be conducted without fondness for dispute or desire for victory." - Ben Franklin

Anger is a great motivator and both political parties are using anger to motivate their base. This has lead to a situation where both liberals and conservatives are furious and think the other side is composed of idiots and scoundrels. This is not healthy. There is a mixture of wisdom and folly coming from both sides. Most of the politicians really are corrupt scoundrels, but most of the voters on either side are just decent people doing their best to understand a complicated world. I am trying to spend more time listening and understanding, and less time arguing, condemning and trying to persuade others to my point of view.

I'll be happy to listen to any political point of view as long as it is presented in a friendly intelligent manner. I am tired of listening to angry rants. I would rather talk to people who are curious and realize there is a lot they don't know.

In most conversations a person can take the one of two roles. We can see ourselves as trying to win a contest, or we can see ourselves as trying to learn something new. It is hard to do both. I prefer the role of the learner. I prefer curiosity to competition.