This world is far too big for me to comprehend in detail – natural, social and spiritual. I appreciate the bits I do understand and keep learning more, but I know enough by now to appreciate the fact that even what I think I know is only a small part of a bigger picture. Every element is interconnected.
Our tendency is to go with what suits our personalities, or if we're “civilised” what suits most personalities. We veer from one side to the other – excess over prohibition, whether it's free love or alcohol and drugs. And we don't see the bigger picture. In most areas, there is no "right" or best way for all people to do all things all of the time.
When left-leaning people and right-leaning people discuss social issues with different reasons behind their arguments. And by arguments, I mean logical statements debated - not what people call arguments today. Right-leaning people see that left to our own devices we are more likely to arrive at an optimum outcome - governments should have as little as possible to do with our lives. Left-leaning people believe an increasing number of people will be taken advantage of by other people if everyone is left to their own devices. This can range from looking out for their own interests first, through various levels of not worrying at all about what happens to other people to complete dishonesty - deception, fraud, theft, etc.
Both are right. We need people to look after our society - but we need each of us to do our best at what we're good at (sadly often undervalued in today's monetary world). As a young person, I took part in a game. We were divided into four teams, and each had to agree together whether our team would play a black or a white piece (after negotiations with the other team). I forget the exact rules, but the only way we could all win was by entering the same piece each turn. Even though we all knew the rules, the urge to get ahead of the others meant we all lost. Our society will only thrive when ALL share in the journey - not equally but adequately. Consensus on adequate will never be reached - but that doesn't mean we stop trying.
On one hand, we have multi-millionaires, some of whom do give back to society in ways of their choosing. On the other, we have gangs, which largely reject society and provide their own rules. In between, we have various people who've just given up on reality and use various addictions to escape. Even in the middle we so seldom ask "you" for "your" ideas to contribute to our society. But there is hope.
I've spent much of my life in cynicism, seeing the many failures around us. I used to say I was neither and optimist nor a pessimist but a realist. That's still true - but in a totally different way. One day God asked me whose reality I based that on. Since then I've seen so many things differently. Our minds absorb so much negativity from the media - both traditional and modern. It helps to know what's happening around us - but so very little of what's happening doesn't make any media - and nor should it. Let's enjoy our lives and how we fit into the world.