You are viewing the archives of the old northcoastoregon.com. Please visit the new North Coast Oregon at: http://www.northcoastoregon.com/

The Cleavage of Political Clustering

by chesimet

Each Friday I am struck by the Bipolar of Americanism that drapes, thunders, placards and honks the incoming/outgoing traffic mainstreets of Astoria.

What strikes me most are the grandstanding and posturing that the camps display.

To young American like me, I would mistake the parties involved, one being quasi-America the other being ultra-America. Yet underneath all these groupings and divide lies the myth that keeps me curious.

Pilate once asked “what is the truth?”. While I add: who has it?

Three clusters of people do seem to exist; those who love the truth, those who hate the truth and those who are indifferent to the truth.

So who is who on the streets of Astoria? The respresentation seems way a drift and extreme to really pick a health dose of what each stands for. One cluster seem ultra-patriotic with American flags indentifying their message. Over yonder are the cluster of those who are waving massages on placards inscribed with rhetoric signals.

And so the Fridays of Astoria remain. For some TGI Friday,and for some the streets are the platforms of idealogy and promulgation of truth.

Notably, missing on both sides of the cleavage are bridges to dialogue.

The silent war for custody of truth continues. The claims for the truth is centered on the war that ranges in Middle East, namely Iraq.

The divide that underlines these camps is who owns the truth about war and other American ideologies (rhetorics).

Can the grandstanding, flag-draping, placarding, silent protest be a form of proclaiming the truth? Is this the new format of letting people know where you stand on issues, mostly the hot potato , Iraq war?

How about justice for the homeless, the marginalized, the cold, the hungry, the dressed down, the mother and child in the cold with no food, the young man and woman who have found no acceptance anywhere but the streets, the victims next door, the old who has no medical/emotional touch, the sick, the nobodoies?

Yes those that this platforms do not even hint to.

Would your present passion persist for those people? How would fare in the love-for-others-scale? Would the cleavage be the polarizing as far as treating other human beings?

I just ask loud because I think we all have a passion for justice. Justice that remains elusive to some and non-existent to many. We derive this passion from within our core of values. These values propel us to take a stand and proclaim to the community and the world; Here I stand and I cannot do no more!

Good. At least you have some deep rooted values.

Have you ever thought you could be blinded by your own “truth” that you missed in seeing other truths that might be imbedded in your other truth throbbing citizen across the cleavage? Have you sort out to hear what they have to say about the issues that polarize us?

As a “new” American I have always thought of finding the truth no matter the cost. The cost could mean swallowing my pride, pulling the flag down and try seeing what is the truth. The cost could be getting around the rhetorics and placard waving mode and seeking to embark on the journey of truth mining.

Cold wars do not serve any good. Isolationism will dead end us in sheer ignorance. Enrichement is found in truth mining that can mean facing the “enemy” on the other side of the cleavage. It might mean building a bridge and crossing over.

This is risky yet empowering. Truth seeking has no politcal tone to it. Truth means being willing and humble to accept that I could be flawed and wanting in my side of the present cleavage. To reach to the other side might be more than just waving. It might involve dialogue. A dreaded thing to the present political clusters that mark our town and lives.

Jan 22, 06:18 am | chesimet
Click stars to rate this article. Rated 5 out of five stars.
This article has been rated 1 time.

3 comments on this article (post your own)

1 On Jan 22, 10:56 am, Patrick McGee wrote:

And what makes it so obvious in those two Friday groups Chesimet and to my thinking, is that we all believe in our own truth based, somewhat, on the philosphies of others.

It is amazing to me how the human brain can be such a miraculous instrument but so easily manipulated.

Truth seeking?

Which truth are we searching for, outside of what’s in our own hearts and minds?

In other words, what makes the indiciduals in each of the Friday groups stand on each particular spot?

I know why I choose the one group I support but, that’s because of my own belief or truth.

Can mankind actually live under and with one truth Chesimet?

2 On Jan 22, 03:19 pm, Uncle Walt wrote:

Chesimet … never try to inflict truth on politics. Politics and diplomacy only exist in shades of gray. Which is why we have the saying: How do you know when a politician is lying – when his lips are moving.

Even science has more theories than truths. And some scientific truths may be scoffed at sometime in the future as we now scoff at the “truth” that the Earth was flat.

Like on a jury, the individual has to decide which theories s/he thinks holds the greatest weight.

3 On Jan 26, 03:30 am, Kemboi wrote:

There’s truth that bids human race together in some form of harmony. And these truth remain the pillars and foundation of survival.

These are the essence and top ingredients of any form of human transactions and existence.

Far from these inner periphery of truth, we have what can be “gray” . And for some natural reason most of us tend to gravitate towards this adges. We love to play on the edges of the truth. We seem to get the high being in these edges of what could be interpreted either way. Our love to be right just drive us towards the extremities of “truth pursuit”.

Our natural tendencies just swing us to the edges. Playing on the edges of the truth seem to give us some form of identity-repulican (red), or democrat (blue). With these labels we go into untold length to gather all other theories, numbers, hearasies, data, stories and more weeds to shapen our new found truth.

On this ants hill of truth, we call all others heretics who should be anathema. We declare, you either for us or against us, as you do not hold on to the truth banner.

With these labels we erect walls and demonize each other, while neglecting the true reason of our existence-compassion for human beings, even with those we differ in some area of difficult interpretation.

Exposing our cherished and deeply held truth to those who are different from us, could be a step for the bold and humble. Stepping into this area, can be painful, costly, and hubling. Yet the benefits are immeasurable. It is those who differ from us in truth championing, can best show us our blind spots. After all truth pursuit remains a unversal endeavor. Nobody has monopolized the treasured commodity.

Those who have little “truth” are the biggest showcase in town. They simply “find”” some droppings of “truth” and quickly run around draping and honking all over the streets, the little “truth” they have found.

For most part these are tabloid-stumping-truth-waving heroes make a mockery of diligent truth-seekers.

To find the the “truth” is a humbling pursuit,if I am truly seeking the truth. I will be respectful of the other side of my cleavage, knowing she/he has the same desire.

Truly, the old say, the truth shall set you free, remains a distant reality to many of us. After all we are being held bondage by our self-preservation not the truth.

Post A Comment

(required)

(required but not displayed)



(No HTML, Textile only please. Live comment preview below.)

this is not Spam.

preview

:

Jul 23, 11:17 am


Previous Article:
« Hands of Peace held for MLK Jr Day

Next Article:
Fast Food Customers Suspected in Sacagawea Heist »

NCO Reader Comments


astorian (Are you a true Astorian?)
The Bob and The Jim (Predictions in 2008 for Clatsop County)
allison (Wanted: Place to Rent in Astoria)
Johnnie Cargo (From Hillsboro Argus: LNG Veteran Weighs In On LNG In Oregon)
tubny (Bad News For Bradwood and LNG on the Columbia)
Henry Dickhous (From Hillsboro Argus: LNG Veteran Weighs In On LNG In Oregon)
greta (Cary Johnson Announces - Clatsop County Commissioner District 4)
DumDumDotz (What is it with sports in other countries?)
Dee (North Coast AA Round Up Seaside April 4th 5th 6th 2008)
Jennifer (Astoria football makes a huge statement tonight)
Bahai212 (Step Right Up and place your bets)
Courtroomnews2222 (Step Right Up and place your bets)
TONI E. LYNCH (Race for 100mpg Car has $10 Million Dollar Prize)
Ella (From Hillsboro Argus: LNG Veteran Weighs In On LNG In Oregon)
Ann Samuelson (Former Jewell School Board Members May Sue Current)
T (Former Jewell School Board Members May Sue Current)
Tonia Mock (Clatsop County Real Estate Market)
Ulrich Schockelt (Former Jewell School Board Members May Sue Current)
Ann Samuelson (Former Jewell School Board Members May Sue Current)
Patrick McGee (Former Jewell School Board Members May Sue Current)

Recent Articles

View All Articles...

Feeds



Home | Archives | Contribute | Back to Top
Take What You Want 2008 NorthCoastOregon.com unless otherwise indicated.
Please email us with any questions or comments.
Site created by Upspring Design.