For those of you who have read Ramblings in the past, you know I am not overly political in my postings. Therefore, this one may seem somewhat strange, what with its clearly political opening. However, "political" is not a truly accurate description of this topic. The topic is dogma. Dogma is particularly prevalent in political circles, or at least on political television shows, both right and left leaning. Unfortunately, dogma is not limited to politics.
What exactly is dogma? Dogma is the title of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon film a few years back. Interesting cinematic offering. It had the angel of death, Jay and Silent Bob, and God in the form of Alanis Morissette. However, the definition of the word dogma is as follows:
"Dogma: noun \ˈdȯg-mə, ˈdäg-\
: a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted" ("Dogma").
I refer to people being blindly dogmatic.
When being blindly dogmatic is widespread, it scares me, regardless of when or where it is found. My daughter Emily and I were recently discussing how the modern media and how individuals sometimes choose to use that media to isolate themselves and remain ignorant of any view other than the one that they have chosen to grab onto. This could resemble in some ways the government use of technology and media to influence and control the public in Orwell's 1984.. Emily stated that in today's society, some people allow themselves to be isolated by particular forms of media, and choose to hear only what the sentinels of one view put forth. The telescreen is never changed, not because Big Brother will not allow it, but because the individuals have chosen their Big Brother and are unwilling to turn the dial. In other words, in order to accept the dogma that they feel fits them, they only allow themselves to be presented with information that supports and strengthens that dogma. By excluding any message that might contradict or question a given set of beliefs, or by refusing to even ask for support or logic behind said beliefs, individuals do not have to ponder the validity of their beliefs; therefore, those beliefs are indisputable. Individuals can be blindly dogmatic in politically, socially, or religiously. Any of those topics is a potential minefield for any discussion. I hope not to offend, but I will also admit that I know I have been blindly dogmatic at times as well. I am not proud of that, but it is the truth.
I guess where I am headed with this train of thought is that becoming blindly dogmatic seldom leads to rationale thought or positive movement; instead, it creates fractures and division. Take, for example, the Facebook declaration "I am too informed to vote Republican." The statement clearly indicates that anything a Republican might support or any idea identified as Republican in nature is inherently flawed and ignorant. The fact is that such sentiment is ridiculous. Am I frustrated with a Governor and numerous members of state and federal legislative branches who happen to have (R) next to their names when identified? You bet your sweet petootie I am. Should that mean that I cannot support our local state representative Steve Becker because he shares that letter and party affiliation? I do not believe it should.
I recently saw a video on Facebook that featured a young woman who lives in Washington, DC. She is an outspoken rap artist. She stated that she had been an Obama supporter because she felt his platform made sense to her, and that he deserved an opportunity because he could not do any worse than those in power at the time. However, she stated that she was no longer a supporter. She said the President has not followed through and had done little of what she had hoped he would do. She continued to say that she had taken heat for stating that she was not in support of Barack Obama. She was black, and therefore, had to support him. At this point in the video, her language become somewhat more colorful as she expressed frustration with the idea that she was somehow betraying her race by not blindly and loudly supporting every idea put forth by the President. She was listening to what was being said, examining what was being done, and sincerely considering them on their own merit. And yet, she was being harshly criticized for taking those intelligent actions. That is crazy talk. And yet, that is where we seem to be in our society today. It seems as if we believe that if you do not blindly follow the dogma of a given ideology, you must not believe in anything. (I am trying to locate the video itself. I will try to post it later if I find it.)
Kansas used to be the rational state. We were firmly Republican, but our Republicans were fairly moderate, or at least willing to work with those across the aisle. We would elect Democratic governors if they made sense and did what was best for our state. We valued our right to live how we want to live, but we respected the fact that our neighbors might choose to live in a slightly different way, and that was ok, as long as it didn't mess up our lawn or spoil our barbecue. Kansas was too full of common sense to be extreme. We may have disagreed with you, but we were polite enough to listen to you before we told you that. We seemed to have drifted away from that. I say appears, because I do not truly believe that the bulk of our population is so close-minded that we won't listen to each other. Man of our leaders seem to have gone that far, but have the rest of us?
How do we combat blind dogmatism? We listen to each other, especially those who are from the "other side". By listening, we see how others view our position and our beliefs. In doing so, we are able to see ourselves more clearly. We can then examine why we feel so strongly and hold our beliefs so dearly. That leads to analyzing our beliefs and finding true support, or, sometimes, adjusting our views. That adjustment is not a weakness; it is a sign of intelligence. Now, changing our views with the wind is weak, just as refusing to hear what others say for fear that it might contradict our views is weak. However, hearing what is said, sincerely examining it, and moving forward, stronger in our beliefs or thoughtfully reconsidering, is a sign of strength. In listening, we will naturally take the reliability of the speaker into consideration, but the idea is still the most important thing. We may even take on a critical ear as we listen based on what we know about that individual's background or stance; however, that does not force us to immediately slap aside the idea. Likewise, we should listen with a critical ear to those who share our views, for it is just as easy to blindly accept what someone from "our side" will say without truly examining the idea itself.
I guess my goal for myself is this: I want to be the one who can say "I am too informed to vote Republican; I am also too informed to vote Democrat. I am informed enough to vote what makes sense, regardless of what letter is attached." I am not there yet, but I hope to move closer. And I refuse to listen to anyone who says I shouldn't.
"Dogma". Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. 19 June 2014. Web. <http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/dogma"
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