Political Comparison of Left and Right

Left and Right


One day, about twenty years ago, my father came home from work much earlier than usual. He arrived home and his left hand was neatly wrapped and tightly bandaged. While working earlier that day, he suffered an injury severe enough to require immobilization of his left hand. My father wrote with this hand. A few days after his injury, I was astonished to stumble upon my dad. He was standing in the kitchen and signing checks with his right hand. It had never in my life occurred to me that such a thing was even possible. A man can write with both hands? Two lessons were learned from this monumental event. First, I learned that some people are able to write reasonably well with both hands; some people are ambidextrous. Second, as the concept of ambidexterity was explained to me, I realized my thought processes were juvenile. I became vividly aware of a paradigm. Until that moment, I had falsely assumed all people must write with either their left hand or with their right hand. Learning the truth brought an epiphany. While embracing my own ignorance, I determined to stop believing in absolute knowledge. I determined to think critically about things I knew, or at least thought I knew. It became important to analyze concepts from both the left and the right.

Modern American politics is comprised of two main political parties, or bodies of common beliefs. These two bodies are officially called the Democrats and the Republicans. The parties are rhetorically referred to as Left and Right. The Democrats are poised on the left while the Republicans stand ready to the right. The ideas of people on the left are often different from the ideas of those on the right. It is a critical mistake to believe that either side holds exclusive reign over the truth. There must be middle ground. It is an act of laziness to vote a straight party line ballot, casting all votes exclusively for one party, without considering individual candidates and issues. It is important to consider every issue from a theoretical middle ground. On matters of religion, abortion, and government, the Left is often at odds with the Right, sometimes bitterly. A well known cliché comes to mind: The truth lies in between.

People aligned on the left are generally more introverted with regard to religious beliefs and practices. They do not believe in the imposition of religious beliefs on other people. Religion is more of a private matter for them, and this helps to uphold the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state. On the right, people tend to be extroverted and evangelical regarding matters of faith. The Right is not as concerned with the threat of religion imposing itself on the state, even though this seems to contradict the Constitution. The truth lies somewhere between, neither side holds an infallible approach to religion.

The majority of political support for legalization of abortion comes from the Left. They frame the abortion issue in the context of a woman’s right to choose. They generally consider the destruction of the fetus to be secondary in importance to the woman’s right to choose. This stance preserves personal liberty, a constitutional calling. The opposite is true for the Right. They consider the life of the fetus to be more important than the woman’s right to choose. They often invoke religious principles while debating the issue of abortion. They believe the moral consequences of abortion will eventually decay the fabric of America: the American family structure. The truth lies in between. Until the truth is found, Left and Right will remain bitterly divided, without a middle ground.

The Left typically strives for more government influence on the daily operations of the nation. They accomplish this by continually striving for bigger government. They seek to expand the functionality of the government as it applies to everyday life. They find solutions by creating government programs. The Left believes that government is more efficient with the money citizens earn. Government can best distribute the income and better address the needs of all people. By comparison, the Right seeks to shrink governmental influence. Free enterprise and business promotion are the focal points. The Right usually seeks to lower taxes, allowing people to control more of their own money. This illustrates a faith in the wisdom of citizens. Right and Left disagree with each other. Certainly it must follow; the truth lies in between.

It is interesting how persons on both sides may have beliefs that cross over. A pro-choice democrat for example might be completely evangelical and demand that school teachers read a Bible verse in every public school classroom. But does this democrat continue to vote a straight democratic ticket strictly based on abortion? Does he make the critical mistake and commit an act of voter laziness? Alternately, a pro-life republican might believe in vast government control, violating a stereotype, yet continue to vote straight republican. This too is a mistake, and intellectual laziness. The truth often lies somewhere in between, and it is necessary to remember that a left-handed person can learn to use the right hand, accomplishing the same task. The party of choice never holds all the answers, despite what the voters’ perceive—or think they perceive.