Well, it's been awhile since I've posted, and to be honest, every time I think about the computer it makes me tired. I never know if I can get into Hotmail, if the internet will crash, whatever. It's even been bad at work. So it just depresses me to think about it, and I have about 10 partly written emails in my drafts folder in Hotmail, so if you are someone who has written to me and I haven't responded, I appologize.

Speaking of being tired, Don and I have found it both strange and a relief to be out of the country for this election. I will admit it now: we are non-voters this time. We have what I think is a pretty valid excuse; moving our family across the world, starting new jobs and new schools for the kids has been pretty intense. I tell myself it really wouldn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things if I voted or not, but I've always been a believer that it is a citizen's duty to vote, and, well, I blew it. So I guess I feel guilty, is what I'm trying to say.

The reality of it is, though, that there are things about America I worry about far more than who or what party is in power. I am saddened by the political cynicism that pervades our society, eating away at our trust and diverting energy away from things that matter. When people assume that the "other side" are idiots or fanatics, how can real discussion of issues take place? When the first rule of debate is to call your opponent stupid, where can people go to weigh their options?

At my school right now, our third-grade unit is World Beliefs, including religion. One of the goals is to teach the beginnings of the skill of dialectical thought, or thinking about two or more points of view at the same time. This is a tall order for kids, especially when most adults seem to avoid this exercise in tolerance, and instead regress to labeling the opponent as deluded or unintelligent. As I understand it, dialectical discourse does not necessarily mean that both parties agree, but that each recognizes that the other has valid points to make.

I believe that engaging in political or idealogical name-calling, even on the ground level, does more harm to our country than any politician. When we no longer respect and acknowledge the ideas of our philosophical opposites, we diminish our own ability to reason and to persuade. It undermines the strength of our own opinions and lowers debate to school-yard bullying.

It's tempting to dismiss people with different views, but that is the lazy way out. Actually understanding another person's views is far more difficult, but the benefits are that we have a better framework for verbalizing our own ideas, and we are better able to persuade others, instead of just appealing to people's emotions. I believe that American's are capable of this kind of reasoned, rational debate, and long for a more civilized way of discussing sensitive topics, like politics and religion. My hope is that people learn how to think about more than one point of view at the same time. And they are welcome to join my third-graders as they learn how.