I am amazed at the level of polarization and the way we compartmentalize people into different and neatly-defined groups.
An interesting and telling example of this are the way radio stations are organized in the U.S. versus in my home country, Nicaragua.
I grew up listening to a lot of music on the radio while I was living in Nicaragua. My favorite radio station had a good and interesting mix of pop, rock, electronic, and even disco music.
Growing up with this eclectic mix helped me appreciate many different musical genres, and it developed in me a taste of music that was quite varied.
Guns n' Roses played alongside amicably with Savage Garden, and nobody seemed to complain.
When I arrived to the United States, I was hoping to find a similar radio station. I was very frustrated at what I found.
If I wanted rock music I needed to tune in to the local rock station. If I wanted pop music, I needed to tune in to the local Top-40 station. If I wanted disco...you get the point.
And then, I saw how people ridiculed other people's taste of music. Rock music lovers were disgusted at the seeming superficiality and recycled lyrics of pop music. Pop music lovers were disturbed at the apparent masochistic and emo-styled music of rockers.
One group thought the other deficient in one way or the other.
This polarization leaves such obvious blind spots in the way we interact we each other (or for that matter, the way we DON'T interact with each other) that it seems magical how blissfully unaware we are of their existence.
One of the ways we classify people is through their political and ideological world views. We are either part of the Left, or part of the Right. We are either Democrats or Republicans. We are either wishy-washy, everything-goes, bleeding-heart liberals, or we are bigoted, close-minded and judgmental conservatives.
But are we really?
We are All Guilty of Being Judgmental
If we buy into this polarized mentality, then we can't escape being judgmental. Judgmentalism is as directly connected to our polarizing world view as breathing is to oxygen.
Trying not to be judgmental while holding tightly to our exclusive identity is like trying to lose weight on a diet of potato chips. We have to choose one or the other.
Liberals fancy themselves open-minded individuals. They seem to pride themselves on how inclusive and accepting they are. And to a certain extent it's true.
But then I hear them tearing apart people who disagree with them on many issues, with an endless list of ad-hominems, the most famous one being "judgmental".
If you don't see the irony here then I don't know how else to show it to you.
When liberals complain about the conservative's world view, are they not exercising their judgment, and by definition, are they not being judgmental?
When some liberal Christians, for example, make fun and minimize the creedal orthodoxy of some Christians, are they not being judgmental as well?
How many times have I heard comments like, "You still believe in all those fairy tales? I thought you were smarter than that."
I'm not saying that disagreeing with someone or a group of people makes you judgmental, but if you are unwilling to commune with people you disagree with, then it doesn't matter if you are liberal or conservative: you are still judgmental.
Being non-judgmental is much more than simply being accepting of some issues, a niche group of people, or a relevant cause.
It requires deep and hard work, where consistent and perennial observance of one's assumptions and opinions are being kept.
You are not being non-judgmental if you embrace your niche of people and reject and ostracize those whose ideas are different than yours.
This reminds me of what Jesus says about loving your enemies, for if you only love people who love you, what good are you really doing?
To my liberal friends: are you communing with people who disagree with you, who have different political ideas than yours, or are you criticizing their apparent close-mindedness to issues that are dear to you?
Are you keeping communication lines open, listening attentively to their stories, to the reasons they formed the ideas they now hold to, and even after all is said and done, embracing them just as they are?
Or are you "loving" them from a distance, grimacing at the sight of them?
Being "open" and "accepting" is much more than just holding a required list of progressive agendas. It requires the hard work of loving your enemies.
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