It seems to be an inherent trait of the human ego to feel the need to always pick sides or draw conclusions. But the failure to look at things from different points of view and find common ground has resulted in centuries of persecution among virtually all races, nationalities, and religions, etc.

It even exists in some of the most innocent parts of society. The elementary school playground comes to mind. This same juvenile attitude remains with us (some more than others) as we get older.

But few things are absolute. We need to look for the connections, the mixtures, the entanglements. And from there we can see the larger picture and hopefully find “the middle way.”

In society we have what often appears to be polar opposites. In politics we have parties which represent opposing views. But we are paradoxical beings. We could argue from both sides if we really wanted to. The arguments that take place among members of groups are just an extension of the arguments that occur within individuals.

On the surface, people seem to want different things, but below the surface we’re really all looking for the same basic things: love, peace, joy, unity, etc. We just do it in different ways.

Even the people we consider the worst in society: murders, rapists, terrorists, etc., want the same things everyone else wants.They just don’t know where to find it.

If they weren’t in search of something, they would be content to just sit under a tree somewhere and not harm anyone. But they hurt others because they are hurting inside. They believe, in a perverse way, consciously or sub-consciously, that they can somehow relieve their pain by hurting others. For instance, why would an Islamic terrorist care about going to heaven if there’s no suffering to escape from? 

We all suffer and we all try to deal with it in different ways, however misguided those ways might sometimes be. And we all want the same basic things, whether we realize it or not.