Politics and Family … can they be combined amicably?
I wonder about this a lot now-a-days.
Every generation seems to have their issues. There was the latest Trade Center Incident & everything that ensued. The Red War & Communism (The McCarthy Era). The Vietnam Military Action. The War on Rock-n-Roll. World War I & II. The list goes on.
So, how did people who may not believe the same things stay together as a family unit? Did they not speak about things? Did they rip-apart & later try to reconcile? Was there the ability to discuss & agree to disagree?
Most people have 3 major social groups they identify with. There is the Blood-Family unit, regardless of how extended. The Friends-like-Family unit & the Work unit.
The Work unit is the easiest one. You are there to do a job & work as a team. Most times you avoid the subject of Politics & focus on that of work related issues. If you cannot get along with the team, you find a new team to work with. Pretty straight forward.
The Blood-Family unit is a bit more complicated. These are people that no matter how different the opinions are, you are bound by blood ties. They don’t go away. You don’t have to like your family, but they are your family … they will always be your family, even if they don’t recognize you as a part of the family.
In a way, the most difficult place to find balance is in the Friends-like-Family unit. Mostly because there is “Choice”. You choose to associate with these people .. or not. There is nothing concrete to bind you together. If you say “I don’t believe that I can interact with you guys” and you leave them … what might be the repercussions? 20 years later someone questions your past associates with people who may not be of a socially acceptable mind-set?
So, what if you have known these people for 20+ years? They are like brothers, sisters, mentors, mothers and fathers. Depending upon the group, it is possible that these roles have been developed, pretty strongly. What if it is a large & diverse group, say more than 50 people, or a 100 people. One now has a “Community” in all of it’s intricacies. There are small groups within the larger groups. There are crafts people & multi-spiritual directors. There are guilds, charters and a single leader with a council. There is an open forum for all issues within the community so as everyone’s opinions are noted. In many ways, a true democracy.
What happens when these people begin to really disagree with each other due to a “Political Environment” which is outside the group … such as our current Presidential Administration, Economical Situation & Global Circumstance.
How does one find balance when some people want certain subjects banned from the forum because it is disruptive & others want to be able to discuss things which are effecting them, even if it is in an aggressive manner.
There have been suggestions of creating a secondary forum for heated discussion. But, this is becoming more & more drowned-out by “1 forum should be enough”. It appears that people are digging their heals in, on their opinions. Compromise may just be the looser here. And if this “Community” doesn’t come to some kind of conclusion, it may suffer the most.
I don’t like walls being created. I feel that once a subject is taboo a rift is generated. The longer that rift exists, the larger it gets. Silence is the greatest dis-ease, because it begins to eat away at the self. The more one holds something distasteful down, the more dreadful the digestion process. It is better to just regurgitate. Bad feelings are not much different than bad food, in that respect.
Ahh well. I shall continue to ponder this & wish the best for my friends.
~ Ravens’Song ~