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by Yoly Tumangan Tubalinal.
April 4, 2011
We often have the tendency to claim without giving it much thought that we could tell what’s right from wrong. For indeed, experience, education and knowledge gained from our research and readings, etc. give us the confidence that telling right from wrong is as easy as 1-2-3. Yet, in this constantly changing and technology-driven world, what was once an easy task of knowing what’s right or wrong has turned into a complicated and never ending challenge which often gets lost in countless political translations.
Though our world has always been divided into factions of pros and cons, believers and nonbelievers or simply right and wrong, the clear and unmistakable distinction between these opposing groups no longer exists. The dividing line that once ran through them has become an imaginary line whose presence or significance varies with individual philosophies and moral values of those charged with the responsibility of looking at and interpreting their existence. Despite the rules and guidelines established as basis for judgment, personal interpretations and individual biases and their commonalities are the ultimate judge of right and wrong, of facts or fiction and of the victors and the vanquished.
Day in and day out, we hear and watch nagging debates on issues that are currently making our world spin. Whether it’s about our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or involvement in the NATO-led aid to rebels in Libya or the constantly raging domestic issues of budget cuts, collective bargaining, gun control, energy independence, abortion, health care, tax cuts and a string of other political issues, there is never a shortage of comments and opinions from all sectors of society.
Liberals Vs Conservatives: Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong?
As far as issues are concerned, there is no mistaking the demarcation line between Liberals and Conservatives or Democrats and Republicans. Here’s how it goes:
* ABORTION: Conservatives (Republicans) are pro life; Liberals (Democrats), pro choice.
* GUN CONTROL: Liberals are proponents and supporters of gun control; Conservatives fight or block it.
* TAX CUTS: Conservatives promote tax cuts for corporations and the top 2% richest Americans; Liberals are often opposed to tax cuts for the rich and the corporate giants.
* HEALTH CARE: Conservatives want the Affordable Health Care Reform abolished; Liberals fought to get it passed.
* SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE & MEDICAID: Liberals fought to put them in place and continues to fight to preserve them; Conservatives want them in the chopping block.
* DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act): Conservatives maintain that marriage should remain between a man and a woman; Liberals think it’s an individual choice and thus support gay marriages.
* FOREIGN WARS: Conservatives are mostly pro war, especially when the Commander-in-chief is one of their own. Liberals make their decisions based on their perception of its significance or need.
* ENERGY INDEPENDENCE: Conservatives don’t find a problem with off shore drilling; Liberals are for limited drilling.
Depending on who’s talking, one finds a party’s position to be right or wrong. Political pundits have not been shy about their affiliations and have thus expressed opinions that are consistent with their party’s position or stand on issues. To tell who’s right or wrong on the issue, one must try his or her damn best to separate emotion from reason.
Some truths are easy to establish and politicians’ motivations can be uncovered with a diligent analysis of available facts. Nowadays, the preponderance of resources and accessibility of data in so short a time offer a great tool to those who care to find the truth. A politician who seriously wants to preserve his or her credibility and position must be careful making utterances and claims that are either false or indefensible because of lack of back ups or documentations for he or she can be easily found out and trashed by his or her opponents for all the voters to know.
Facts and Common Sense
The concept of right or wrong, though, subject to individual interpretations of available facts, need not be compromised if we could mentally and temporarily block our party and group affiliations and search for the truth in all the right places. For if we want the truth, we can’t limit our sight on the station, commentator or writer that’s partial to or a declared friend of the same party in which we belong. We need to hear opposing views so we can exercise our judgment, guided by our common sense.
Surely, common sense will find the wisdom of some arguments and opinions backed up by facts and not just some made up claims and their own version of the truth. Bare facts don’t lie but our interpretations of these facts can and do. It’s our common sense that will guide us to the truth if genuine truth is what we want.
If we allow our common sense to be clouded by some other people’s twisted versions of truth that are actually fuelled by their ambitions and selfish motivations, we can never arrive at the real truth. It’s time we open our eyes and ears to a new discourse and then, use our common sense. Then and only then can we get closest to the truth and tell what’s right from wrong.