Things I notice

As my regular readers know, I read a lot.  And as I read I notice things.  I read differently now that I am trying to learn to be a writer, and I pay attention differently than I did in the past.

One of the things that I have noticed lately is that contemporary women's fiction, and contemporary fiction in general tackles really difficult subjects.  Subjects like childhood cancer, and adult cancer.  Congenital diseases, surviving the death of a spouse or child, disability from an accident, infidelity, abortion, adoption, unplanned pregnancy, child abuse, job loss, addiction, mental illness; you think of the trauma, and somewhere in contemporary fiction, there is a book that deals with that topic.

In these books, I feel I really get to know the characters.  I understand what they are passionate about.  I feel their pain, and their anger.  I feel their joy, and their disillusionment.  What I hardly ever know about any of these characters is whether they are Republicans or Democrats.

I'd like you to think about that for a second.

A talented writer can create a complex, multi-faceted character that has hopes and dreams, fears and uncertainties, passions and heartaches, without giving them a party affiliation.

Maybe it is time for life to imitate fiction.

Why is it so important to so many people to know someone else's party affiliation, or to broadcast your own?  To be honest, I'm pretty sure everyone I know thinks I'm a Democrat.  I'm not.  I'm an Independent.   I also think that most everyone I know thinks I'm a Liberal.  I'm very liberal on social issues, but I'm actually pretty conservative when it comes to fiscal matters.  What would confuse most people about how I think is that I think if you want to spend more, you have to have more.  And that means higher taxes.  I am also a huge fan of progressive tax rates, and corporate tax rates that encourage investment in the company over profit taking.  But none of that defines me.

When I was younger, I felt like it was easier to get to know people.  Easier to see what was in their hearts, because politics was not so much a part of what defined people.  I got to know people who were animal lovers, and advocates for children's rights, and disability advocates, and tireless volunteers for women and children's issues.

I got to know Boy Scout troop leaders, and Girl Scout troop leaders, and special education teachers, and bankers and doctors and landscapers and plumbers and electricians and carpenters and factory workers and college professors.

I got to know dance teachers, and theater majors and people pursuing art as a vocation.  I got to know people who were totally happy to devote themselves to raising their children and creating a warm and nurturing home environment, and people who were determined to open their own businesses to provide a service they thought the community needed.

And I could probably have guessed with relative certainty who they voted for in any Presidential election.  And if they would vote yes or no on a new tax millage.  But that was so far from my mind and so far from what made me want to get to know them better or to keep them on the fringe of acquaintance with me.

And I really liked that world better than this one.  Because the labels we put on each other limit our ability to accept the unique capabilities of each of us.  It doesn't matter to me if you identify as a Republican, or a Democrat, or an Independent, or a Libertarian, or a Green Party member.  What matters to me is who you are.  What your gifts are.  How much you care about others.  How much you want to make the world a better place.

There are a million ways to make things better.  Some ways work better at some times than others.  Some ways work better for some people than for others.   But if I can get past any labels that try to define someone, and get to see their heart, their fears and heartaches, their passions and their triumphs, then I can find that facet of them that matches a facet of me and we can build a relationship on that base.

And then we can begin working on making things better.  Until the shouting stops and the dividing stops and the building walls around ourselves stops, we can't make things better.

I accept that some people might need the labels, and might need their personal walls.  I will offer up good thoughts to the universe that the people that need those things find the enlightenment they need to not need them anymore.

In the meantime, if you allow me to, I will try to see you without labels.  I will try to learn about you, and I will try to appreciate what makes you the unique individual you are.

I will try to find common ground to build on, and try to build a foundation strong enough to support discussing our differences.

I will not try to change you, but I will try to hear you, and I will ask you to try to hear me.

And then maybe, just maybe, life can be more like fiction.  Where people matter more than party affiliation.