I’m not really a church going guy, but lately I’ve spent Sunday afternoons taking semi long walks and listening to Unitarian Church sermon podcasts. As I was walking yesterday I listened to a sermon about respect. The minister touched on many different points, but the main message I got out of the sermon was that respect is absolutely essential in allowing people to function both independently and in groups. He used the example of our current political climate to make the point that when people lack respect for others with differing opinions, when they call people Nazi baby killing assholes and greedy dumbshit douche bags the democracy breaks down. We all suffer.
Well I think about politics a lot, and despite its staying power I remain fascinated by the Tea Party. What I’d like to try here is to look at the Tea Party in the context of respect.
In his sermon, the minister told several stories illustrating how when people feel that they are truly being listened to and their views honored and respected, they are more apt to show that same respect to others. And what’s the Tea Party’s unifying belief? The government doesn’t act in our best interests. They don’t listen to our wants and needs. They do not respect us. And what’s the Tea Party’s collective response? “Fuck us? Nah dawg, Fuck You”. They want to limit the role of government in their lives as much as possible. They say “Why would we give you more money and power when you don’t use it to help us? More often than not, you harm us. You don’t respect us, so we won’t respect you”. And as much as I hate to say it, it’s hard to fault people for feeling this way. But being right doesn’t automatically make any response also right.
Without a mutual respect there can be no compromise, and we’re all witness to what happens in a democracy without compromise. It breaks. It took the Dems five months to pass a bill to help small businesses even though both parties agreed on almost all of its elements. Both parties agree on extending 98% of the Bush tax cuts, but they won’t even vote on it until after the elections. Those that have no faith in the worth of those opposing them are hijacking the political process. There’s no trust, no exchange of ideas, no real debate and no minds being changed. Without respect there is no compromise, and without compromise nothing can be accomplished.
In our government, as well as in our lives, we need to listen to each other, especially when we disagree. I’ll quote the minister, “out of our diversity we can discover a truth that is deeper than any truth that we can find alone”. How can I be sure that my point of view is right unless I allow it to be challenged and give my challenger the attention and respect that she needs to change my mind? How can I changer her mind if she doesn’t feel I’m taking her seriously? The power of a democracy is in the clash of opposing points of view. It’s the idea that all of us are smarter than any one of us. All of us deserve to feel like we are being listened to and valued for who we are, because we are seeing what happens when people aren’t.
We are all neighbors and when your neighbor is different it is a blessing. Respecting each other’s difference makes both of you better people. Don’t just tolerate it, celebrate it. Respect.
Generation When 