Labels That Divide Us

Sometime ago while visiting friends in Minneapolis I was invited to attend church services in a downtown church. I had no idea as to what I would find and how I might react to it. It was a lesson that has staid with me since.

The "church" was a shabby hall in an abandoned building in what we used to call skid row. The pastor was a devout man in his mid 30's flanked by his wife and their toddler son. About 35-40 people total were present, mostly folks down on their luck, homeless, some with drug or alcohol problems, and a few "do-gooders" like my hosts. Several must have come, I think, because free coffee and donuts were served after the service.  Some were there because of their abiding faith.

The Sermon

After a short invocation, the young pastor embarked on his sermon.  It was evident from his demeanor that he had much passion for his mission and ministry. He spoke in a pleasant voice and he seemed to elicit interest from his audience.

What he said during his 45 minute talk surprise me. He talked about -isms and how such words ending in -sm had impacted his life often in a negative way. His general point was that any word that ends in -sm often charms us with the positive while hiding its negative elements. He cited as examples socialism, communism, capitalism, and libertarianism. They are terms, he said, that conjure up some utopian benefits while hiding or discounting their downside effects.  

During the service, I was surprised to see come around a basket soliciting donations. Surprised because most people there seemed to be indigent. My admiration for the pastor compelled me to make a meaningful offering. To do otherwise would have been phony.  

The sermon over, most folks quickly gathered around the coffee table, got their cup of coffee and donuts and disappeared into the streets. A few hung around to chat and comment on the inspirational sermon they had heard.

The sermon's warning has stayed with me.

Lesson Learned

Indeed as the good pastor taught us, -sms bombard us daily. Some promise utopian benefits, as the pastor warned us, and others would caution us about their downside. I have come to the conclusion that all -sms are one-sided, that what they reveal is interesting but what they hide vital. I have developed the notion that they represent extreme positions to which there is a wide-pendulum response.

They tend to fall into two buckets that I have labeled, for lack of better words, left and right, words that we use daily to describe one another political leanings. Let me illustrate a bit more what I mean here:

Left                                                                                     Right

Communism                                                                       Capitalism

Socialism                                                                            Individualism

Liberalism                                                                          Conservatism

Existentialism                                                                     Feudalism

Modernism                                                                         Traditionalism

The list is partial. I am sure that you can add to either column other commonly discussed -sms. Passionate advocates from either side espouse the many benefits that come from such -sm while its adversaries point out the many disadvantages associated with that -sm. The dialog alternates from left to right back to left in a continuing wide pendulum swing akin to a grandfather's clock's. Each side of the argument attacks the other as being naive, intolerant, evil or stupid for disagreeing.

Experience teaches us that the right place is often in the middle, capturing the benefits while minimizing the downside, finding that elusive middle ground, and blending the two into a livable and motivating whole. But, as we have been warned, those who ignore experience are bound to repeat the mistakes we have made in the past. 

The dialectic includes much rhetoric and little substance to the human discourse. The outcome is often polarization and enmity.  Two words that conjure up more -sms. Those who choose the middle ground are accused of lacking convictions, of using convenient situational averaging, and not being in touch with the real problems of the common person.  Someone, who we might not admire, referred to those in the middle as the silent majority. I think he was right.  

Questions

Like John Lennon sung in one of his famous songs, I know that I am not alone, that there are others who think a lot like me.  But, can we quit pigeoning or demonizing one another with labels? Can we stop the self-righteous nonsense? I welcome your comments and reflections.