Liberal Stories, Conservative Stories: Analyze Your Own
The current political scene often seems to pit liberals against conservatives with Democrats defined as liberal and Republicans cast as conservative. I suggest that the current political struggles do not reflect the traditional liberal/comnservative dialogue but are perversions and extreme versions of legitimate life stories. The extremes\xa0in these struggles reflect a tribalization of political differences which include self-glorification, demonization of opponents and\xa0demands for total\xa0loyalty to leaders and tribe.\xa0Todays discussion will suggest that liberal/conservative differences are one of emphasis, often subtle, between a focus on the environment in which we live and the qualities by which individuals live. Liberals traditionally seek social justice\xa0while conservatives seek individual moral integrity and responsibility. I will suggest that we cannot have one without the other and if we try we will produce a country that will reflect either anarchy or totalitarianism. If we psychanalyze\xa0our own emphases we can negotiate and take strong stands against the current tearing of American Democracy now taking place.