I made a boo boo at work; a big faux pas. I talked about politics … and specifically about Health Care Reform … with a person who most decidedly did not share the same point of view I did.
While I managed to gracefully avoid any shouting matches or finger-pointing (on either of our parts), I still came up slightly disgusted by this person’s beliefs about the Health Care Reform bill. And that’s only because I still couldn’t understand her reasoning that health care should only be provided to those who contribute something to society. What this “something” was, she couldn’t clearly define.
But this isn’t a blog post to rant about Health Care Reform. I figured one post was enough about that. No, this post is more about how my social and political ideals have always seemed to lean towards the left.
I’m sure it’s that part of me that has always believed that every person deserves to be treated with respect. And I’m not just talking about the respect that a person receives once they’ve reached a certain stature in life; whether it’s a position of being in authority or if it’s just having the job of being a parent or grandparent. Nor am I talking about respect in the sense of commanding a feeling of fear or demanding total obedience.
No, I’m talking about respect in the manner in which an individual’s feelings, needs, thoughts, ideas, wishes and preferences are taken into consideration. In which a person is accepted for their individuality and idiosyncrasies.
I’m sure that most people agree that respect is an important value to give and receive in life, but it appears that most people tend to think about being the receiver of respect rather than give someone else respect who they think may not deserve it. But then who should really be the judge on who does or doesn’t receive respect?
And see, that’s where I tend to veer off to the left. This is when I accept that every person is worthy of respect, regardless of what station they are in life; regardless of their race, religion, or lifestyle. I believe that everyone deserves at least the acknowledgement that who they are as an individual is more important than whatever “group” they might have already been lumped into.
In short, I believe that respect is a basic human right; up there amongst food, shelter and — yes, access to appropriate medical care.
So yeah. I’m guessing this is probably the reason why I tend to be more liberal than others; especially having lived in Catholic Suburbia for so long. Not saying, of course, that there weren’t others like me growing up, but living amongst more conservative affluent families with strong cultural and religious ties made it more difficult to find others like me.
Going back to my co-worker … while I don’t agree with her beliefs and subsequent reasoning for not supporting Health Care Reform**, I still respect the fact that she has her own unique perspective. And I can only hope that she respects me as well.
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It’s officially Palm Sunday today, people. This means that a week from today will be Easter; and a week plus one day will be my last Lenten act for 2010. Woo-hoo!!
Today’s Good Deed: Okay, so the True Blue Wolverine in me had to do it. She just HAD to cheer for Michigan State today as they played for their bid to get to the Final Four in Men’s NCAA Basketball. It’s the first year I’ve ever done the March Madness brackets; and truth be told, I had MSU losing in the third round against Kansas State … But regardless, I’m glad that State made the Final Four. I think that the whole state of Michigan needs something positive to rally around.
Today’s Grateful Thought: I’m so thankful for the time I get to spend with my furbabies; my poor Rain especially. Our senior citizen kitty has been craving some extra attention lately, so I’ve been trying to cuddle her a little more than usual. Oh, I know that Rain’s nine lives will eventually expire (she is 19, after all), but that doesn’t stop me for hoping that she lives even longer than she already has.
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** It’s also interesting that we shared the same point of view when it came to funding of the Health Care Reform. So while we disagreed about the reasons behind the bill, we did find some mutual ground to share. That’s respect, baby!! 🙂