I resist wearing labels such as "Conservative" or "Liberal" with an upper case "C" or "L."  It comes to surface as I hear the word,"wing" attached to directional terms such as "left" or "right."  This comes from a guy who cannot tell you off the top of his head what a "red state" is as opposed to a "blue state" or why they are opposed at all.

Words I like to describe words like these are "deceptive," "misleading," "ambiguous," and "meaningless."

The wing metaphor is helpful. Years ago, my grandson brought me one shoe to put on his foot and I sought to explain to him why he could go outside with one shoe on and why it might be like to feel lopsided.

Then, I thought about airplanes and realized I wouldn't consider getting on a left-winged or right winged airplane. I prefer my aerial transportation with two wings. Balance means a lot to me at that elevation.

I read an interview with a a man who thought he'd always been on the left wing of a theological issue. Then, he said, a movement emerged that went further to the left and left him in the center. When you are in the center, you might lean to one side or the other, but you are still in the middle.

I like public forums where "both" sides of  controversial issues are aired by the best and most articulate spokespeople for the particular point of view. Sometimes, I go away with the feeling that both made sense and I feel a tug of "leaning" as each speaks. It is then, up to me to find the balance after weighing all the arguments.

In the body politic, it is up to all the people to participate in that. The exercise needs to be completed with some distance from the shouting, the slogans, and the accusations each side makes against the other.

There is a sticky issue where the definitions have been in flux.

I don't want to live in a one-winged society. I am not impressed with one winged philosophies and would not feel happy about a brain with a single hemisphere. I want a multitude of counselors helping me look at all sides of any question. This is true in politics, religion, and business.

Proverbs 18:17   says, "The first to present his case seems right,  till another comes forward and questions him."

I think that is by design. Truth is simple, but not simplistic. The best course of action may not always be the most obvious. We need point and counterpoint to make good and wise decisions.

Sometimes, neither "side" has the best alternative and the truth is something so creative, clear, and compelling that no one is arguing it yet. In fact, when it is brought up, no one has the language or perspective to "get it" right away. It defies all the labels and transcends the "wings."

Perhaps that is why the American people as a body politic can be so shifting in their political party loyalties. As a people we know that you can't fly the "airline of state" with one wing – nor a business, nor a life.

If you are a decision maker, make sure you are getting good information and that all of your advisers are not always in 100% agreement. If you are not wrestling with some of the major matters that come before you, you are probably not getting the best out of your own abilities to think clearly and objectively.

We all have biases and they are helpful when they inform us. They are dangerous when they blind us. They are disastrous when the rule us. 

Fly with both wings!

How do you fly with both wings?

F – Face your own limitations in perspective, knowledge, and ability to know it all. There is a vast storehouse of knowledge that no human will ever possess. The only all-wise and all-knowing one is God and He ha distributed bits of His knowledge widely among diverse peoples. Everyone has some truth to bring to the table. To deny anyone a seat at the table deprives us all of the wisdom they bring.

L – Listen carefully to what others are saying. Respect those with whom you disagree and who disagree with you. Consider that people who are wrong about one thing may have insight into something else. Never throw out babies with the bath wash or dismiss the value of people because of your prejudices.

Y – Yin/Yang it. I am not talking about the Taoist philosophy, but I am utilizing the language and referring to the science of balance. The truth of a given situation may dwell in the tension between paradoxical opposites and failure to look for it there will deprive you of the truth you seek to make a good decision.

This is not really how our collective discourse operates, especially today. But in a time when people are divided and public figures attempt to divide and compartmentalize us even more, it needs to be. We need to understand that we have some truly common interests. We breath the same air and share many core values. It serves no interest other than the quest for power or the blind ambition to win not to concede points to each other in debate and not to find common ground where we can.

In the end, I do not want any one political philosophy or perspective to dominate the public arena. That would be frightening and chilling. History demonstrates the dangers of totalitarianism, fascism, and nationalism. In American life, I want people to be who we were designed collectively to be and that is not monolithic or blindly loyal. People of faith, of whom I am one, with never surrender their ultimate loyalty to any party, political philosophy, or candidate. We will have these convictions, but they will be secondary to two things.

1. Our primary Ultimate Concern (religion). and
2. Our common commitment to the common good of keeping our common plane (America in this case) in the air.

Fly with both wings.