Liberal Stories, Conservative Stories: Analyze Your Own

The current political scene often seems to pit liberals against conservatives with Democrats defined as liberal and Republicans cast as conservative. I suggest that the current political struggles do not reflect the traditional liberal/comnservative dialogue but are perversions and extreme versions of legitimate life stories. The extremes in these struggles reflect a tribalization of political differences which include self-glorification, demonization of opponents and demands for total loyalty to leaders and tribe. Todays discussion will suggest that liberal/conservative differences are one of emphasis, often subtle, between a focus on the environment in which we live and the qualities by which individuals live. Liberals traditionally seek social justice while conservatives seek individual moral integrity and responsibility. I will suggest that we cannot have one without the other and if we try we will produce a country that will reflect either anarchy or totalitarianism. If we psychanalyze our own emphases we can negotiate and take strong stands against the current tearing of American Democracy now taking place.