LAPOINTE: Don’t cut out the middle man

Most everything in life has a natural opposite–up vs down, wet vs dry, light vs dark, and especially prevalent today is Left vs Right.

Everything is becoming a political issue today, and because of that it’s getting harder and harder to discuss issues of importance without falling into an argument.

There seems to be a growing distaste amongst groups for those that make the conscious decision to forgo a hardline opinion on issues, preferring instead to exist somewhere in the middle.

That last bit is important, “somewhere in the middle”, because the thing about Centrists is that unlike Leftists or Rightists they’re often more likely to disagree with each other on just about anything.

For example, when I was approaching my high school graduation people older than me started telling me that if I wanted to have an easy time getting through life there were three things I should avoid talking about at all costs — religion, politics, and money, or “the trinity” as I like to call them.

Thing is whenever I asked why it was these three things in particular and not say sports or diets, I couldn’t get a straight answer out of anyone, just vague allusions and shrugged shoulders.

I realized the reason for that reluctance was fear: fear of being singled out for “not being on their side.”

What separates sports and diets from religion, politics, and money is your world is influenced every day by these things–regardless of how you feel about them or your ability to deal with them, their influence in human history is unparalleled.

So why are we discouraged from talking about our financial problems or view on abortion even? Why aren’t we trying to find a compromise, or at the very least come to an understanding that we simply disagree? Would it not be better if we learned how to have difficult and sometimes uncomfortable conversations so that they don’t just devolve into senseless arguments?

This silence that pervades the Trinity is growing into a larger sphere of influence, which risks being forever in flux because of a growing inability to debate without resorting to finger pointing.

This is a perfect example of how “the middle man” plays a vital role in everyday life by acting as an ambassador to help us have those difficult conversations while helping to avoid falling into an argument that doesn’t get anywhere meaningful–they provide us with unique views on the important issues while being open to having their own views changed by the perspective of another.

But here’s the thing about being in the middle — you’re attacked from both sides.

In today’s world we’re often more interested in hearing voices of a similar tone, and it’s a problem that’s growing more and more as we push the mindset of opinions falling into one or the other, with me or against me, left or right.

There needs to be more than a yes or no response to the hard questions, because so rarely in life will an issue fall into such simple camps. When we limit ourselves into seeing alternate views as opposition, and by extension contrary to our own, we prevent ourselves from being able to fully understand the full picture.

If there was one undeniable solution to the world’s problems, it would have been found already.

We need a middle man in the world today, because existing in an echochamber, regardless of where you stand, will only get you so far.