The socio-political landscape has changed drastically within the last ten years. Partisanship has all but deteriorated and our views of the ‘other side’ are becoming more and more hostile. It’s interesting to me because following World War Two many countries, governments, politicians and societies knew that they must vow to never become anything resembling Nazis. A noble goal. Unfortunately many people presently have focused so much on not becoming whats’s possible with increasing order and tyranny on the far right that they forgot the potential chaos of communism on the far left. In the years leading up to and the years following WW2, millions died as a result of the Soviet Union’s communist regime. Millions are also estimated to have died as a result of Mao’s communist regime in China.

When two extreme opinions meet, the truth lies generally somewhere in the middle. Without exposure to theother side, you will naturally drift towards the extremes and away from the truth of the matter - Annie Duke

Both Communism and Nazism have proven that they have the horrifying potential cost of the lives of millions of innocent people. I can’t help but share the worries of many public intellectuals. These worries being that we are so transfixed, even now, with not becoming Nazis that we terrorise anyone who steps foot on the political right. Whereas we seem to have forgotten thehorrific potential of the extreme left. We are living within societies in which some are attempting to censor language, push for equalities to such extremes that we focus on what group an individual belongs to rather than the words they speak, we are forcing ideas upon each other to such a extent that we abuse anyone who questions these ideas into submission. I can’t help but think of the current cultural times as incredibly Orwellian.

The struggle for the maintenance of free speech and open debates is a fight we must endure. Those on the right are not all Nazis. Those on the left are not all Communists. However, we must fight bad ideas with better ideas. Nazism and Communism are both bad ideas. This has been proven and the cost of that proof was innocent lives. Let’s not forget those realities. Instead let us see theother side as honest and well-intentioned people as a starting point. Attempting to silence or censor will not bring anyone out of poverty and will not ease oppressive systems. Open debate and working together has thepotential to. We must further realise that the ideas of the political right and left are both necessary for a well-functioning society. Those on the left tend to present progressive and creative ideas in order to acknowledge flaws within societies as well as potential solutions however they can also stray towards chaos. Those on the right tend to present conservative ideas that are just as important. We all, whether we care to admit it or not, want to conserve some aspects of how our societies are right now and it is the job of the right to maintain order. However those on the right tend to stray too far towards order without the possibility of change and towards tyranny and authoritarianism. It is clear that the answers lie somewhere in the middle and those answers will never be realised without open, non-judgemental and healthy debates.
Lastly we must consider individual ideas rather than ideologies. Some ideas on the right are bad and some ideas on the left are bad. We must therefore vote based on ideas rather than the group they belong to. Those who vote for a party simply because they always have done or because their parents voted for that party or because it’s popular amongst their peers are not considering the ideas of said party. We must refrain from vilifying the other side, characterising parties based on anything but their ideas and ideologically thinking, for if we can, change is possible.

Keep On Struggling

Gregor

Movie I Enjoyed - Burn After Reading

This movie from the Cohen brothers has a star-studded cast in George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand and John Malkovic. It is a well-directed and hilariously written comedy that had me bemused and amazed.

Supplement I’m Using - High-Strength Omega 3 By Nutravita

Stanford Neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman recommends this as “ingesting sufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids is going to support healthy mood and even can act as an antidepressant. More than a dozen studies have shown that ingesting at least 1,000 mg per day of the EPA form of essential fatty acid is as effective as prescription antidepressants for reliving depression” (4). So far, I haven’t noticed any change with regards to mood however my sleep has been inconsistent recently so it’s difficult to gauge the effects however I do not have much fish in my diet so for that reason alone this is a worthy supplement. The Nutravita softgels have everything you’ll need for the mood-boosting benefits and they contain reliable ingredients.

Quote to Ponder

People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive - Joseph Campbell

References

1) Image Credit - Rawpixel

2) Burn After Reading Image - IMDB

3) Nutravita Image - Nutravita

4) medium.com/@podclips/dr-andrew-hubermans-supplement-recommendations-7491483e778b