The American electorate: More than ever, more than the sum of its parts

Our longtime friend, Charlie showed up today to spend the night on his annual migration southward from Alaska, to Seattle to Arizona. I can’t be more specific than that since, Charles is something of a rolling stone these days since his retirement from the left seat of a Boeing 777 at Delta Airlines. The loss of his wife several years ago merely intensified the desire to remain something of a vagabond.

I almost couldn’t wait to ask: “did you vote for Sarah!”

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The real difference between conservatives and liberals: 5 moral values

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt talks about the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we’re left, right or center. In this eye-opening- and highly entertaining and funny-  talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

He points out that nature loves both liberal and conservative, yin and yang if you will. Both are necessary to the functioning and progress of a nation as well as a society. To want a society of exclusively one or the other would be a non-functioning mess.

He gives us a great reason to step out of the moral matrix for a moment to gain our bearings, and out of our self-righeousness ( “I’m right and you’re wrong!” ) and work cooperatively toward a better future.

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Haidt studies morality and emotion in the context of culture. He asks: Why did humans evolve to have morals — and why did we all evolve to have such different morals, to the point that our moral differences may make us deadly enemies? It’s a question with deep repercussions in war and peace — and in modern politics, where reasoned discourse has been replaced by partisan anger and cries of “You just don’t get it!”