like minds
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Patients in a hospital (even on life support) can be comforted by familiar television programs. HGTV, tennis, golf, or whatever is watched at home can improve blood pressure and heart rate. Familiarity can alleviate stress. The same concept of wanting loved ones around us at times of worry and decision making.
A physician suggested, he likes to go to the Methodist church every Sunday to be surrounded by “like minds. It is comforting.” The same can be said of those who attend temples, synagogues, Sewing circles, and AA meetings. We form ourselves into groups of like minds because it strengthens us. Socializing is a good thing, a nurturing thing. Among like minds we find solace, reassurance, sympathy and good will.
Then someone has to give our social group a label. Labels separate and create mobs and gangs, conservatives and liberals, left and right, stress and high blood pressure. These labels can lead to discomfort and this discomfort can become hate and intolerance which in turn leads to wars that cause premature death.
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When you look up conservative and liberal, an internet search reveals –> “Liberal conservatism, Conservative liberalism, Libertarian conservatism, Fiscal conservatism, Green conservatism, Cultural conservatism, and Religious conservatism.” In the USA it all seems to have something to do with the Protestant reformation around 1789 and the political balancing of social harmony and common good. “Common good” might also be known as socialism while social harmony usually requires rules.
Conservatives strongly support the right of property, respect for authority and religious values. American homeowners,whether they be liberal or conservative, are all over the right of property. Respecting authority helps to keep the peace. We need rules so everyone drives in the correct lane, waits their turn to speak, food temperatures in restaurants keep us safe, hand hygiene keeps us from getting disease, punctuation makes us understandable. Rules keep the world ticking like a fine oiled machine. but — When authority is abused it is not always good for us out here in the “common good.” ( Like when financial rules are broken for personal gain.)
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So while we are enjoying the company of like minds and learning from opposing view points, we need to be careful so that our innate desire to seek out like minds doesn’t lead us into blind opposition. Blind opposition is dangerous and gets people killed and countries bombed and religions hated. Television is entertaining and comforting and we tend to trust it. TV’s droning familiarity can be as comforting as being in a room full of like minds, on the other hand, it is a great source for blind opposition.
