"Stop.... Where Is My Mind??"

Like many young people I naively thought that the United States would "change" when Barrack Obama became President. At the time I believed that someone could "transcend" politics, and unify a very divided country. I am not sure about that anymore. When I read the news I feel overwhelmed, there are just so many things going wrong in this country. Right know we have brave soldiers dying in Afghanistan, a deficit that is growing every second, and not to mention partisan bickering over health care in Washington. Have we finally bitten off more then we could chew?

Then these feelings of melancholy are compounded when I turn on my TV. Have you tried to watch cable news lately? It is complete insanity. I think there must be a running contest between MSNBC and Fox News to see which network can make up the most shit, throw the most mud, and be as downright mean as possible. Both networks have figured out that well "real" journalism is too hard (and by the way it doesn't get high ratings) so we will just put up some angry, loud, and obnoxious person to yell over anyone who disagrees with his or her ideology. And then if anyone tries to point out that these hosts are not journalist, but venomous snakes, you'll be quoted out of context and be called the "worst person in the world" or a "pinhead".

How can we have an honest debate when we don't even listen to the other side, or try to understand where they are coming from? Everything has been turned into a partisan issue, and we've all decided that the opposing side is trying to ruin this country. Even I sometimes find myself looking through a prism of left and right, not what is right and wrong. Both parties have convinced themselves that they are infallible and that whatever the issue is, the other side is wrong. I believe with complete sincerity that we all want this country to succeed, and that the things that unite us are stronger then the things that divide us.

Maybe just maybe we should take a break from only reading or watching news that has the same biased as ourselves. Who knows you might actually gain a new perspective. So I challenge you, if you're a democrat maybe read the Wall Street Journal or the Economist. If your a Republican give NPR and the New York Times a shot. I'm not saying you'll agree with everything they say but if you're not willing to compromise, and listen to opposing people's view points, how can you expect your leaders to.

-Chris V

I am Luke H. and I support this message. Thanks for the great perspective Chris.