This is something of a rant, but the lesson here is very clear.
The Left Must Not Fear to Speak of God.
The Left Must Not Fear to Speak of Morals.
The Left Must Not Fear to Speak of Good.
And most assuredly, the Left Must Not Fear to Speak of Evil.
However, and most importantly, the Left MUST Communicate what they mean when they speak of these words and how they make us feel.
The cognitive dissonance that plagues our nation is most rooted in a profound linguistic split. It is a failure to communicate using the same internal conceptions of spoken words that has led us so far astray. That has so divided those that believe themselves to live a reality-based-community and those we believe do not.
One does not, as one can so easily assume, need to 'throw in the rational towel' when one uses the terms referenced in the introduction of this post. The towel has been lost (and every Frood knows where his towel is) because of the Left's inability to define reality using these terms.
We have avoided, for far too long, using the most powerfully connotated words in the English language to explain our stance. This is why the failure to communicate has been so profound. This is why Clinton was so successful. He was able to communicate these feelings, these perceptions, these 'reality equations', on a level orders of magnitude greater than your average (D). He was able to 'feel your pain' because he did feel your pain.
This concept of being able to empathize with the others is good. To not be able to understand what others are saying, because of the words they use, is bad. It is a net negative for our culture, when we cannot communicate our feelings through words others understand. Through the words others feel.
We have a belief in the values of empathy and compassion, yet refuse to use the words that connect with those with whom we disagree.
As referenced in a recent article on CBS's page.
CBS/AP) The Democratic Party's sharp defeat in the 2004 election has already produced a round of soul searching.
The GOP recaptured the White House and strengthened its hold on Congress with powerful support from churchgoers.
Now some in the party are saying that the Democrats need to reach out to these voters with a faith-based appeal.
"I don't hesitate to stand up in a crowd and express how important faith is in my life. It is important to be able to express that in a way that is believable, and Democrats have to get comfortable doing that," Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., told the Washington Post.
We must to hesitate to declare publicly our faith, and trust me, to believe that a greater social good with come from the implementation of our policies, to believe that a better country, a safer world, and a stronger individual will result from this implementation is best described by the word 'faith'.
It is the difference between semantics and meaning. It is a small, subtle, yet ultimately profound difference. It explains why both sides feel they are right, and why we cannot communicate why we feel ourselves to be so.
Here is a fairly short (and chaotic) dialectic on the process of understanding.. Take a moment to read it. I would recommend you focus on the exchanges of which I am a part (same nick, different URL), but there is value in many of the others as well.
This is the single most important thing, IMHO, for the Left to comprehend if we wish to stem the tide of religious certitude that so many of us fear is evil and will lead this country to ruin. That belief can, again, be best expressed to the Red States using the word, 'faith'.
Now is the time to question not your beliefs, but how they are expressed. Now is the time to question not your faith, but how its expression is perceived by those on the other side of the cognitive divide.
Now is the time to express your values, and describe, in the most base, emotional terms possible, why you value them.
It is my humble understanding that if we resolve the linguistic difference between us and them (and yes, WE must make that effort) then Barack Obama's United States will be revealed. Our country will be made whole, and we will lead the world in peace to fight the evil, destroy the poverty, ignorance, and bigotry that plague our species, and moved as one towards [God].
peace, love, unity.
These are not just words, they are values. They are actions. They are feelings.
We must express them in terms that can be understood by 'them'.
[please recommend if you find value in this diary. It is trying to get at, IMHO, was is the root our problem, and what I think is a very useful process for resolving it in a timely, peaceful manner.]