How Deeply Engrained Are Our Political Beliefs
Political views in America are deeply divided today. It seems the middle ground is gone. On our college campuses, even the mention of a conservative speaker being invited to speak, brings out violent reactions from the predominantly far left student body. This type of reaction is viewed, for the most part, as youthful activism by inexperienced students. But how deep does our political divide really go in our current society?
Recently, during a casual discussion among friends, the topic of a local HOA was brought up. And as the discussion progressed, in became very clear that our current political divide goes down even to this simplest form of governance.
The discussion started with the mention that a nearby HOA had announced the need for candidates in order to fill the various positions soon to be vacant. This brought a wide variety of responses from within the community. Some people were willing to volunteer. Others mentioned that they would make themselves available only as a last resort in order to fill an open position. But quickly, responses moved into the area of issues.
Some of the issues mentioned were the desire of one homeowner to have the speed limit lowered within the community. This brought on another response that the mailman was speeding when delivering the mail and that that needed to be addressed. Quickly another homeowner brought up their issue that the start time for home activities, such as lawn cutting, should not be allowed to start until 9 am. And the list kept growing.
So as the list of issues kept growing, this brought on responses from other homeowners that viewed these issues as petty and an overreaction. It didn’t take long for the whole thing to turn heated. Lost in the passionate remarks being made was the fact that the need for volunteers to fill vacant positions was being lost.
It is quickly apparent that the left leaning people view government as only method of correcting what they believe are important issues. And those who hold conservative views believe government is an impediment and intrusion into their living their life independently. As an example, the issue mentioned above about the need for lowering the speed limit within the community, ignored the fact that the speed limit in communities such as this one were set by law on a state level. But even when that fact was mentioned, the homeowner who brought up the subject was not willing to relent and still demanded that the HOA do something about it.
Is there a solution to the deep political divisions that exists within our current society today? Unfortunately, it would seem that what might solve this problem is a deep economic downturn, such as a deep recession or even a depression. People have to learn to view government as unable to solve every issue and that in spite all of the government laws and regulations, it can’t be the end all to every perceived problem. These types of economic downturns might just force people to look inward for solutions and help. They need to develop a sense of community and a need to rely on one another, instead of government.
Also, a huge portion of our population has lost their sense of personal responsibility. In the example of speeding within the community, if each driver took personal responsibility, for their driving habits and stayed within the community speed limit, the need for more government intervention would be eliminated.
It would seem our current political divide might just get worse before it gets better. How this plays out is anyone’s guess.