Narrowing the Scope to Our Own Liking

Isn't this true in many cases? We only hear what we want to hear and negate anything else said about it? We only see what we want to see and block out anything that might distract us.

It's true in so many cases. Politics is one prime example. With the mid-term elections coming up, be prepared for some lovely commercials where one candidate insults another. The Republican candidate will get on the Democratic candidate for being a flip-flopper, for being soft on crime, for being pro-choice, for wanting to up taxes. The Democratic candidate will get on the Republican candidate for being pro-life, for cutting taxes only for the wealthy, for favoring security over liberty, for being close to President Bush. They'll blow things out of proportion. The Republican may claim that the Democrat was an anti-war protester back during Vietnam and then go off on a slippery slope, stating that because of that protest, he's definitely not supporting the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and potentially Iran. Because of that, he's against the war on terror and wants to increase the risk of terror in this country. "Would you feel safe with a man at office who does not care about your safety?" Then the Democrat will spew back about how the Republican doesn't believe in any gun laws, and he'll go off on a similar slippery slope, claiming that because of this, more guns will get into hands of civilians and criminals and with more guns comes more gun violence. "Would you feel safe with a man at office who does not care about your safety?" In the end, will it matter what these two have to say? For the most part, no. Die-hard Republicans will buy into their candidate's commercial and start calling the Democrat an Anti-American. They'll dismiss the Democrat's commercial as nonsense, claiming that more guns equals less crime. The Democrats will nod in unison at their candidate's commercial, saying that their should be some gun laws to prevent some people with dangerous histories of obtaining guns. They'll then dismiss the Republican's commercial, stating that it's nonsense.

Notice the trend here? This is true in more than just politics. Look at religion. If something like the "Da Vinci Code" was proven to be true, then Christians would claim that it's nonsense and look to a Christian study for their answers. The smoking industry looks to studies provided by American Tobacco. Mormons look to Joe Smith. Muslims look to Mohammed. Christians look to Jesus. Republicans look to Bush. Democrats look to someone else. Those that oppose abortion look to studies that support their view. Those that are in favor of abortion look to studies that support their opinion. Have an opinion? I'm sure you can find a study or a book supporting your view somewhere.

Can't we open our scopes a bit more? Can't we see the BS spewing out of both Republicans' and Democrats' mouths? Can't we look to the source of these studies and try to find consistency throughout numerous reports and studies on a topic? Can't we accept that not everyone believes in the same religion and perhaps there are inconsistencies and flaws in ours just as there are in others?

It's easy to have a narrow scope, because when hearing or seeing a single word, we'll pass immediate judgment. If a narrow-scoped Republican or Democrat hears or sees the opposing party name, then they immediately pass judgment.

I'm sorry to disappoint anybody, but things aren't that simple. I'm a registered Democrat, but does that mean I'll always vote that way? No, it doesn't. I'm not a fan of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, John Ashcroft, and the like, but I'm also not a fan of many Democrats. If and when election time comes, we should be more voting for the person we truly believe will best represent our country and move it forward as opposed to just voting based on party affiliation. Let's try to open those scopes even just a smidge, because it's amazing how much more we can learn about the world and others if we allow ourselves the ability to receive the information.