Welcome to Meet Me in the Middle (MMitM) on Substack!
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The Meet Me in the Middle Mission
The mission of Meet Me in the Middle is to understand the cultural and political challenges that our society faces, to explore diverse perspectives, and to consider compromises and solutions that offer hope of building unity in a world full of ever-increasing division. We place responsibility for achieving unity in the hands of the individual rather than the pundits, the policy makers, or the mob. The philosophy here is that Unity Begins With YOU!
Motivation
The time has come to leave behind the divisiveness that has infected our society and culture. It truly is an infection, and it truly manifests in a way that alters who people are. It is evident that many publications are intent on guiding their audience with an agenda-driven editorial that they supplement with only a portion of the facts, leaving out crucial elements that would give their readers a complete understanding of the actual story.
It seems most members of the audience allow themselves to absorb their news from a pretty limited set of sources. This is normal and even makes some sense. Nobody enjoys regularly listening to or reading news that is consistently in opposition to their views, that often evokes anger or disgust, that forces them to consider and ultimately dismiss another perspective, or that might even change their mind. Some call it an “echo chamber” in that the voices that you allow yourself to hear do not differ from your own, but there is clearly a self-fulfilling-prophecy aspect to the development and evolution of biases and perspectives. If one chooses to consume only the media that they feel aligns with their ideals and if that media leaves out elements that are crucial to having a complete understanding of the story, is there any hope of that person truly comprehending any given topic or issue? A danger comes with developing so much trust in those sources that one becomes unaware that the change within themselves is taking place over a long enough timeline. It is vitally important that we never permit anyone to have that kind of influence or control over us.
Give some thought for a moment to someone you know personally who has different perspectives on any given cultural or political issue. How open is that person to hearing your thoughts on that issue? How open are you to hearing their thoughts? Do you find yourself leaning toward or even entrenched in one side of the political/cultural spectrum and celebrating the perceived victories of your “side” over the other? Do you relish the moments when representatives of an opposing political party experience a fall from grace? MMitM wishes to leave behind politics and tribalism of resentment and blame so we can spend our energies in a more constructive way.
As John Stuart Mill said in his 1859 essay, On Liberty, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them...he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”
The MMitM Community
With the above considerations in mind, MMitM endeavors to tap into varying perspectives on a variety of cultural and political subject matter in search of truth and understanding. Driven by the belief that unity is indeed achievable, despite the mechanisms and forces that seem determined to divide us, this community will explore the diverse and embrace the thoughtful and considerate. The vision for the MMitM community is to face societal challenges head on but with an adherence to the core principle of love, respect, and tolerance for all. There is no place for hate in the MMitM community.
What to Expect from MMitM
The MMitM goal is to generate weekly articles with a focus on specific topics. We will reflect on topics that have persisted for some time or have been brushed aside. We will attempt to compile diverse perspectives and consider counter narratives related to more recent historical topics that has led us to where we are today. We will review historical literature and build connections with current events, issues, and policies. MMitM will provide links to sources that offer diverse perspectives and provide an honest attempt to give due consideration to those perspectives. We will explore why these topics are of concern and evaluate where these perspectives have led or are leading us. Finally, MMitM will discuss how we can “meet in the middle” on certain topics or perhaps go in a completely new direction.
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