The Christian thinks his philosophy is better than that of the Atheist, for he detects in the Atheist some illogical argumentation here and there.  And he sees the dogmatic spirit in the Atheist and declares “Atheism is a religion, too!”

Meanwhile, the Atheist sees widespread hypocrisy in Christianity and declares that it is but a myth that some god empowers and guides the Christians.  He sees their dogmatism and their frequent irrationality and declares that religion is but an “opiate” for the masses.

The Republican sees the handwriting on the wall when it comes to the debt and spending habits of the Democratic Party.  He is incensed at their utter foolishness for insisting on an unsustainable economy and he blames all our woes on “those damned Liberals”.

Meanwhile, the Democrat sees the constant violations of the Constitution as promoted and/or perpetrated by the Republicans and considers them evil and enemies of the rights of man.  If only they can be kept from power, he reasons, perhaps there is a chance for improvement in our society.

The Evolutionist is at once certain that the going scientific hearsay on the age of the earth is accurate enough, and is repulsed by the Young-Earth Creationists, whom he witnesses blindly insisting that the Bible says that the earth that is only 6,000 years old.

Meanwhile, the Young Earth Creationist is certain that the Evolutionist is full of garbage because the evolutionist just goes by what his teachers tell him…and because scientists have repeatedly changed their story on the age of the earth over the past few centuries.

Each sees at least some of the other’s flaws and judges him for it.  Meanwhile, he excuses behaviors in himself that are quite similar to those he condemns in the others.

Then there are the few—the very few—whose dogma is in rationality (reality-based thinking).  They strive not to overestimate their own knowledge and are willing to say “I don’t know” when they don’t know.  They hesitate to believe that which cannot be proven, and they refuse to believe that which can be disproven.  They are adamant for the truth—whether it be one they can prove, or one as the result of which they must change their previously-acquired beliefs.

These are the type who will admit that we simply do not know the age of the earth.  They are the type to condemn violations of the Constitution no matter which party is behind them.  They are the sort to voluntarily deny themselves a benefit from the public treasury when they know it to be illegal—and even if those around them do not resist the same.

These folks are frequently mislabeled.  The Democrats think these folks must be Republicans and the Christians think these folks must be Atheists.  Blacks think they must be racists and homosexuals think they must be fundamentalists.  No one is listening, of course; no one is thinking through things the way the rationalist explains them; to them, the truth of the matter simply isn’t nearly as important as their own predetermined conclusions.

The irrationalist really needs the rationalist to belong to some enemy camp, for this is the easiest way to dispense with his arguments.  “Oh, he’s just a Demublican”, or “Oh, he’s just a Basbyterian”, they say.  “Of course he’s wrong.”

And that’s that.

Could it be that hypocrisy is repulsive wherever it exists?  Could it be that ignorance is a real turnoff no matter whose ignorance it is?  Could it be that one’s points of genius are almost universally overlooked when his points of idiocy are visible?

Indeed, I think this is how it is.  No wonder so many are so apt to dismiss so much when it comes from the mouths of those they have been taught to discount.

One thing would fix all this, of course:  If mankind no longer cared to judge by a standard he himself refuses to keep, things would be better.  Better yet, however, would be a world in which mankind no longer refused to keep the standards he binds upon others.

Our society is a practice in repulsion—a veritable ballet built on the oscillation between repulsion from the bad traits of others and the forgiveness of equally bad traits in ourselves.  It is the my-side bias ballet.

But it does not have to be this way.

Did it ever occur to you that just maybe many of these divisions are created and promoted on purpose, in order to keep this nation divided and dysfunctional?