Article October 29, 2012 Issue

Quenching the volcanoes of partisanship

Jack Lindsey

First appeared as a Web original on August 29, 2012

With the presidential elections ramping up in the United States, and other important elections worldwide, most of us are aware of the incessant political attack ads on TV and in other media. These can have a corrosive effect not only on the political process but on individual lives and society as a whole.

While it may seem necessary to pick sides, what I’ve found I most need is the desire to express righteousness—not self-righteousness but the divine nature that includes humility, wisdom, judgment, even forgiveness. That makes it easier for me to pick God’s side—to put aside my personal feelings and seek His guidance.

I’ve also found it helpful to love my neighbors and to be sensitive to the feelings of others, even if I don’t necessarily embrace their ideas. While we need to make decisions, we don’t need to judge others or to think less of them if they don’t think as we do. From my own experiences, I’ve learned the need for mental alertness so that I don’t let other people’s influence move me to accept ideas that aren’t natural to my own thinking.