No One Knows It All

This morning I was on my way to church (the desire to write something comes at the most inconvenient times) when I decided (after reading the Sunday paper, what there is of it in Indianapolis) that no one should start any editorial type of writing without saying "I don't presume to be completely knowledgeable, but...."

The older I get, the more I realize how little anyone really knows about anything. Even those, especially those, who have strong opinions have a skewed outlook based upon their philosophical or political bent. Our brains tend to filter out the sort of knowledge that might actually make us look at things differently and change our minds. We close ourselves off from it. We avoid it. We rant and rave and evade anything that might make us stop and say..."oh." Not only do we do this, but we condemn anyone who would dare disagree with us. This is why, politically and otherwise, I consider myself a (gasp, dare I admit it) fence sitter, and someone who does not like to be associated with a particular political party.

Fence sitting is something that traditionally has not been looked kindly upon. I will be the first to admit that when there is someone in the media, a blogger, a journalist, etc. who I particularly respect for his or her thinking and approach to an issue, someone with whom I happen to agree, it is easy to place that person in high esteem. Even when I find it hard to be objective, at least I can admit it. The problem with most of what I see out there on television, radio, and the newspaper, is that no one can admit that they might be wrong. I watch both sides...liberals and conservatives...and I see such hypocrisy...equal hypocrisy...and neither side will admit it.

Take the issue of the economy. The current, brand new administration, especially during the campaign, blasted the right for causing the current economic mess. Can anyone actually say that this whole mess is the fault of the previous administration? And I've seen it go the other way as well. I don't believe the current administration is out to, when we aren't looking, turn us into a global economy, or a socialist or communist nation. Let's all just be willing to admit that we don't know it all...I don't know it all, our President (whoever he or she is in the past, now, or in the future) doesn't know it all; for sure neither Bill O'Reilly or Al Franken know it all....Bill just makes me cringe, and I just can't look at Al without laughing.

I really think there ought to be a new party called Middle Americans. We should take over the media so we can get rid of the impression that if you are a liberal you are a communist, take advantage of the system, want an easy ride, etc., and that if you are a conservative, you are an abortion clinic bomber, good ol' boy, white ango-saxon male chauvanist pig.

I for one don't want to be associated with either side and I think most Americans would probably agree, but "I don't presume to be completely knowledgeable."