Of guns and abortions

Acceptance is better than denial. Accepting a reality is not the same as surrendering to it. Acceptance allows you to identify what type of action you can take. If the reality can be changed, you can take action towards changing it. If the reality cannot be changed, you can take action to change what that reality means to you. In either case, acceptance is a catalyst for taking action towards change. Denial, on the other hand, leaves you static and stuck in the status quo. 

Slap is food for thought. Carryout more at TakeSlap.com 

Guns and Abortions in America

Gun rights and abortion rights are "sacred" to their proponents. Nothing activates liberal women more than seeing political opponents wanting to curtail abortion rights. Nothing activates conservative men more than seeing political opponents wanting to curtail gun rights. It is fun to see these two teams battle for power.   

Gun rights are expressly protected by the U.S. Constitution whereas abortion rights are not. Conservative men have enjoyed significantly more political power historically than liberal women. If it were the other way around, the Second Amendment would safeguard abortion rights, and the Constitution would be silent about a well armed militia bearing arms.

The sky is not falling 

An interesting aspect of politics is to see how followers on both sides believe that they are on the  truly believe that their respective side is the correct one. The "I'm right, you're wrong" attitude permeates everything they think and say. They truly believe that this time is different. They truly believe that these times are unprecedented and that things are worse than ever. They truly believe that the sky is falling. 

Not surprisingly people who fall for the trap of believing in politicians really suffer and agonize over the power game. They see political opponents score points or get ahead in the polls and they suffer. They truly believe that the other side is "evil" and wrong. They truly believe that they are right and the other side is wrong. They believe they are the good ones and the others are the evil ones. 

The game of politics.

When you see politics as any other human game, you realize that no side is "right" or "wrong". They are opposing sides battling for power. They are opponents with opposing views. If you cannot role play yourself into seeing the world how the other side sees it, you are a fanatic and not a free thinker. You have drank too much of the Kool Aid offered by your political camp.

Free yourself. Accept that politics is just a game. Refuse the mental trap of thinking that your political party is the "good" one and the other is the "bad" one. Each side is fighting for pleasure over pain. Each side wants the best for itself. That doesn't make any side "good" or "evil". They are just competitors. It's all a power game.

Fear and Greed 

Humans are controlled by two basic emotions: fear and greed. All living organisms survive by avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. Fear relates to pain. Greed relates to pleasure. Politicians control you by pushing your fear and greed buttons. 

Effective politicians make you afraid of a world dominated by the people who do not share your belief system, and greedy of a world dominated by people who share your belief system. That doesn't make your beliefs true. That makes them convenient if you win and inconvenient if you lose. 

Freedom and independence   

You can achieve personal freedom and thought independence by accepting that your political beliefs are not the "correct" ones, but rather the convenient ones. You chose your beliefs following the pain / pleasure mechanism of life. You chose your beliefs seeking to avoid pain and seeking pleasure. 

Politicians and political parties will have less control over you if you know that they are simply pushing your fear and greed buttons (pain and pleasure points).  You are tied to your beliefs because they help you avoid pain and help you seek pleasure. Once you realize that, you can untie yourself.

Unifying Division

Let's go back to guns and abortions, two of the most divisive topics in American politics. Both sides are entrenched on their respective beliefs. Neither one seems to realize that they are fighting for the same illusions. 

If you believe in absolute gun rights, you are seeking the pleasure of what you envision as self defense, and avoiding the pain of what you envision and being defenseless against an unwanted attack on your body, health, and lifestyle. You are looking to protect your own life and lifestyle regardless of whatever the social cost may be, if any. 

Likewise, if you believe in abortion rights, you are seeking the pleasure of what you envision as self defense and avoiding the pain of what you envision as being defenseless against an unwanted attack on your body, health, and lifestyle. You are looking to protect your own life and lifestyle regardless of whatever the social cost may be, if any. 

Fear and greed, not only control you, but control everyone else on planet Earth. Groups come together based on having similar associations of pain and pleasure. We are not as complicated as we think we are. We are organic computers programmed to avoid pain and seek pleasure. 

Food for thought. What do you think?

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