There's the old put down: Are you on the ball? "Of course," you answer. "Then bounce off and kiss my ass!" And, while I'm at it, how about this one? "How many wrinkles in a bull's ass? Bend over and I'll count."
Let's get back on track. Re: On the Fence. But, rather to be more accurate, it's I've been "put" on that fence.
Politically I look at policies and people. Then I vote. I'm not so bonded to any one party or philosophy that I hold everybody who doesn't see it my way as wrong. Or that I have to vote my side like some stalwart, blind eyed true believer no matter what. Much less that the way I see it is the only way to see it; or, the correct way to see. I used to live in that paradigm; then I woke up. It smacked me square in the face that I was making it up; how I saw things was through a lens of my own design. Amazing Grace! As you might expect, everything changed. For the better. But for the one's I was compelled to leave behind — or, so it appeared to them — it was for the worse; they took it so, anyway. [Still an issue yet to be resolved BTW. Light a candle.]
It appears that the level things are at currently requires you to be either for the one side or, for the other. Of course I'm referring to the so called left side, Democrats; and the right side, Republicans. But, not on the fence. Well, when you try to sort out anything in a dualistic frame, it follows there has to be this ... or that. Ask any Rabbi. Fences are for the birds. But, they must know something; after all, they can fly. Read that as "can rise above it all".
Let's not go into that hopeless and endless quagmire of who's right and who's wrong. From either side it looks right where you stand, and wrong where we see the others standing. Or, rather, we think we see them standing. So much so that when you know in your very bones you are right it's easy to see the opposing others as stone stupid and. more probably. Just plain evil.
Let me interject a sobering reality. It's not what you think! If you take that I'm out to make you wrong. Wrong! It's not about what I think either. It's about getting that it's all in your head. Thinking. No problem with that. But, just to notice that voice in your head ... you do hear that voice in your head? Well, it's not you!
When you're right, it's only logical other views are wrong. On the fence? You're also wrong there. Just for being on the fence. And, probably it means you're for the other side, but don't want to admit it. Admit it! Even one of my so called loved ones ventured that I had lost my mental acuity for not being in agreement. Wow! When you're right, you're right. No?
I've been known to have been critical of the Democratic side. Again, the details of it are not salient to this commentary. What's relevant is how 1. If you criticize one side, ergo you have to be a supporter of the other. And, 2. Not taking a side is not acceptable. Get it. That's how you get on that fence. And, 3. not taking the right side, well that's just plain wrong.
So, I'm wondering, where does it say you have to take sides?
The thing I am trying to point out is not which side is right or wrong. It's the next level point: To see that regardless of where you stand, you have taken a stand. Just that. Full stop. It's the stand itself that's the thing. Again, who said you have to take a stand? It's the stand itself that keeps you in place. Stuck? Dare I suggest that?
It's about stepping out of the tar baby mess of sorting out right from wrong. Nothing wrong in doing that. The error of it is not seeing that it's just a mental box; howsoever important to grapple with, but just a box. Seeing the fact of it is transformative. Maybe even so that the problems one is attempting to sort out become clearer with new options from that next level perspective. And, that's not a higher, more superior point of view. Think of the birds; they rise higher, they're not the better for it. Well, maybe better in being able to do that. You get the point. Enough.
To reiterate: it's not about who's right and who's wrong. It's about seeing that discussion itself as the dance that it is. Dance to your hearts content. Just, let the music stop and look around at all the other partners waiting patiently around the dance floor.
Kapeesh?
Which brings up another rather disconcerting point. Just when did a large swath of the population get so right that any opposition is by definition wrong? So right, whatever the so called opposition may have to contribute is not even given a look. If you need an example, Trump. Everything he did as Prez was at least 100% wrong. And, his supporters too. See what I mean? [If you're a dem of a certain conditioned mindset, you probably don't get the point. It's just a logical, obvious fact to you. No?]
Conditioned? Me? Never! Never mind the incessant 24/7/12/365 full on court press finding fault in any and everthingy 45 did. That certainly didn't creep in under my radar! We can relax now that we have the 46 who comes marked for sainthood checking all the boxes central casting looks for in its leading men. Make Jimmy Stewart look like a hobo.
I've attempted, in vain, to suggest when you're on the left, and so stone certain of the rectitude of your position, in fact it circles around and you're not only right, but on the right. A few steps farther if you have the numbers on your side and you get to lord it over all those erring miscreants. Deplorables. How that's not authoritarian I don't know. Did any authoritarians consider themselves to be such, but only doing nothing other than God's will?
The thing is it seems some have become so conditioned to the propaganda of their allegianced side to even suggest there might be another way of looking at things is itself not an option. No shadow of doubt.
Alas, the original sin of man ... pride. Oh, and excuse me, for using the white supremacist, sexist, old school term, "man". What would you call it?
Like the story about a fellow with a broken watch strolling around one Sunday in a Swiss town. He sees a shop with a clock in the window and goes in to see if he can get the watch repaired. "Sorry sir. We don't repair watches. Point of fact, I'm a Mohel performing the ceremonial circumcision in the Jewish tradition." "But, you have a clock in the window!?" "What would you put in the window?"
Having said that ... it's probably mainly an exercise for me in getting my thoughts on paper. Who will hear it? Who's open to hearing it? You can't pour water into a jar that's turned upside down. The upside is that most jars don't last; they break. Freeing the space inside, don't you know.
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