A few years ago, a devout Catholic was hired as a social services counsellor.
Initially, management wasn’t even going to consider the applicant because his Catholic faith could interfere with his ability to accept and support their clients’ different lifestyles. But in the end, they looked past their biases and invited the counsellor to a second interview where he was grilled on whether he could properly reconcile his religious beliefs and his work. They decided he was capable of just that and hired him on the spot.
This is a true story and the decision management made was admirable because it took a great deal of strength on their part to be ethical and fair in the face of conflicting values. A kind of respect was shown to that counsellor that I think we all want from each other: he was judged based on who he is, not what he believes in.
This is a principle that I try to live by, and I think it’s highly applicable to politics. It’s also something that’s been reinforced over the last few years I’ve been involved in politics, both within CUSA and Canadian parties in general.
Here’s my perspective: I have experienced first-hand unethical and dishonest conduct from both the political left and right. So while I recognize that political beliefs are an essential part of our identities, I also believe that where you lie on the political spectrum doesn’t make you more moral, or a better person. It simply means you have a certain set of values on how society should function. You can believe in the purest form of social justice and be arrogant just as you can stand behind harsh austerity measures and be a respectful and moral individual.
For this very reason, I don’t let politics play too much of a role in informing my social life. Writing someone off based solely on the fact that we disagree about politics only deprives me of both the opportunity to expand my perspective on the world, and a potentially valuable friendship.
Of course, I say this within reason because there’s definitely a point at which my political differences with someone could not be reconciled. For the most part however, if you are open-minded and willing to genuinely respect and appreciate my views, then I can establish a personal relationship with you. In other words, I look for integrity, honesty, intelligence, and fairness, not ideological congruity.
The fact is that we all have our own unique outlooks that are informed by our experiences. And regardless of your background, experiences are grounded in reality; they are tangible, real, and at the very least should be respected as legitimate. Because every perspective— no matter how unreasonable it may seem at face value— holds some sort of merit. How can it not, when it is rooted in experience? When it has developed through the same complex processes as our own?
Especially in our generation, where entitlement and self-indulgence are all too prevalent, it’s important that we consistently remind ourselves we are all just individuals – each one of us is like a single grain of sand in a vast desert. And that’s not to demean the value that we all have as people, but rather to say we should actively seek that very same value in others.
To consider your own views to be unconditionally “right” can be ignorant at best, and dangerous at worst.
I feel like this kind of approach is part of what’s lacking in political interactions today. We spend so much time and energy trying to prove we’re right, that we forget to consider that we may be wrong. We need to instead focus on developing positive, respectful connections between peers of all political stripes, and through those relationships, find that middle ground where most of us can be satisfied. We might even find that both sides grow in the process.
This all seems idealistic, but it’s not— it’s actually a very deliberate and practical approach. People are generally more receptive to individuals that show them respect, and/or whom they themselves respect. So in essence, by showing consideration and respect for other people’s views, we actually increase the influence of our own views. The idea is that our interactions become a discussion where the goal is an exchange of ideas, as opposed to an argument where the goal is simply to “win.” Because it rarely happens that you get into a heated debate with someone who was disrespectful, and feel like that person made an impact on your political views.
But hey, take what I’ve said with a grain of salt because after all, it’s only one perspective.
