This is my Spectrum column published on 1/22/13:
We live in time of great opportunities. Never in my lifetime have I had access at my fingertips to the abundance of information and educational opportunities as I do today. Recently I completed an online college level course in poetry that was a massive open online course (MOOC) originating at the University of Pennsylvania. Colleges and universities are making more courses available online. The Khan Academy contains a library of over 3800 videos on a variety of subjects. A Google search almost instantly provides a huge number of information sources.
Recent developments in the energy field promise greater production domestically in the coming decades. The economic indicators for 2013 look promising.
Regrettably reasons for optimism in our political system are harder to find. Our polarization is causing the wheels of government to grind to a halt. The looming debt ceiling crisis is just the latest self-inflicted blow to continuing economic advancement.
We blame and rail at Congress on the one hand but then in 2012 we returned 91 percent of the incumbents up for election to Washington.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, studies the roots of our morality and is concerned about our political dysfunction. In his book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion he explores in detail how our moral vision “binds and blinds” us. We become loyal to our team while unable to see the correctness in the other team. We engage in a good versus evil struggle. He argues that if we can gain a better understanding of the roots of our hyper partisan divisions then there is hope that we can begin to talk to each other more civilly.
In addition to his books, he is a frequent participant in TED Talks. TED is a nonprofit organization that brings together people from Technology, Entertainment, and Design to share ideas in talks of 18 minutes or less. Currently there are more than 1400 individual TED Talks available online.
Professor Haidt’s most recent talk is: How common threats can make common (political) ground. He identifies specific reforms to address structural issues in Congress and four specific threats that he likens to asteroids headed at our planet and threatening a catastrophe in the next fifty years. They are global warming, the rising national debt, rising income and wealth inequality, and rising non-marital birth rates.
He argues that while liberals and conservatives are frequently on opposite sides of these issues there is room for civil debate leading to constructive solutions if each side can acknowledge the seriousness of the threat posed by these challenges and be motivated to seek solutions before it is too late.
There are some hopeful signs of change emerging. Just this month Republican Jon Huntsman and Democrat Joe Manchin are assuming leadership roles in the “No Labels” Movement (www.nolabels.org) promoting the need for problem solving.
We have an opportunity to manage our future if we can listen to and respect our disparate views.
As always, excellent writing about complex subjects, handled with respect, and giving us a lot to ponder.
Posted by: Penelope Eicher | January 28, 2013 at 09:41 PM