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…