If I Could See
Through Their Eyes…
Being a Progressive Liberal, I’ve tried to understand the
other side and their beliefs, but it is not working. Perhaps if I could see the
world through their eyes, I might have a better chance to understand how they
see the world. I need to understand why so many Americans identify with their
view of things when what they say and do seem so foreign to me.
If I could see through their eyes, the world would surely
seem like one big opportunity to make money. I would see money and power as the
one thing worth striving for. Keep your eye on the prize young man! I might extol
the virtue of hard work, but my eyes would see that it is in the connections
and who I know that will insure wealth and power. I would see that politics and
promises go hand in hand. I would see that it is not so much what I do, but
what I SAY that stirs the crowds and brings the cheers. I would see that if I
can make my opponent LOOK bad then I look better. Looking better wins elections.
Winning elections brings wealth and power…the prize.
If I could see through their eyes, the world would be
made up of people like me, people with my same values, wants and needs. Everyone
else would just be irrelevant. My eyes would see them as something that needs
to be marginalized, defeated or eliminated from my view. (Keep your eye on the
prize kid!) I would see them as the great “unwashed” masses of lazy welfare cheats,
illegal aliens and drains on society. I would see them as demanding goods and
services, things they don’t deserve. Let them work for what they want and need
like me and my friends and family. I would see them as ignorant creatures who
chose not to take advantage of education and all the wonderful opportunities of
this great land. (Cue the flag and eagles soaring!) No these irrelevant beings
chose poverty, drugs and ignorance. I would see them as wanting my hard earned
wealth to make up for their poor choices in life. My eyes would see that there
is not enough for everyone and that only the successful deserve the resources of
this great land.
If I could see through their eyes, I would see Ward and
June Cleaver. It would be the 1950’s and women stayed at home and raised the
children and took care of the house. I would see that women had no higher
calling, wants or needs. If they wanted more, they were doomed for a life of
disappointment and strife. I would see that children were God’s gift to a
marriage and any attempt to limit God’s will would be wrong. Birth control
would not be an option for any possible reason. God would determine the size of
families, not women. Women would remain chaste until the wedding night. If I
were a politician, a good, dutiful wife would be my most important accessory as
I ran for office.
If I could see through their eyes, I would only see
marriage as between one man and one woman. I would see this as the only way
families begin and thrive under God’s plan. Anything other than this idea would
be an abomination. Same sex couples would be seen as perverted and unnatural. Anything
else would be seen as a threat to God and country …and me. If they are
misguided souls, then they should be counseled and brought back to a “right way
of thinking” or forever be cast aside to live with their disgrace in the
shadows. Again, my eyes would only see people and couples like me and my friends.
Life would be so simple seeing only what I know to be true. I would not have to
try and understand about loving and committed relationships in different
packages. I would see that they only come one way. The way they are supposed to
be.
If I could see through their eyes, I would see one nation
under God! My God. Anyone not of my faith or belief would not be blessed with
the same life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as guaranteed by our
Constitution. I would see any attempt to remove my God from schools, courts or
the public square as a threat to my way of life and my county’s history. In
America I would see room for only one faith, one belief and it would be…mine. Sure
I would make allowances for political reasons and alliances, but America would remain
under one God…my God. Everyone else would be doomed to the fires of Hell, if
they never come around. I would see it as a shame, but unavoidable.
But in reality, if I could see through their eyes, life
would seem so scary. I don’t know if I could stand it. So much fear and
misunderstanding around every corner. So many enemies waiting to take what I
have away from me. I would always see not enough and be trying to hold on to
what I have and what I think I know. I would not see change as a good thing. I
would not see that we are all connected and that we ARE our brother’s keeper. I
would suspect, judge and condemn those who did not look like me, live like me
or believe like me. I would be too afraid to reach out and see where the river
of life takes me. I would be trapped in a world of hate and fear.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your
enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that
way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives
his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and
the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for
that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your
friends, how are you different from anyone else?” (Matthew
5:43-47 )
Food for THOUGHT…
