UNDERSTANDING OUR POLITICAL DIFFERENCES
UNDERSTANDING OUR POLITICAL DIFFERENCES
Are you a liberal struggling to understand conservatism?
then
UNDERSTAND THEIR DIFFERENT PRIORITY OF SITUATIONAL NEEDS
Let
Harmony Politics
light the way.
Currently available as an interactive form using an Excel spreadsheet.
Are you a conservative struggling to understand liberalism?
then
UNDERSTAND THEIR DIFFERENT PRIORITY OF SITUATIONAL NEEDS
Let
Harmony Politics
light the way.
with
Good luck trying to find a better explanation for our
political differences!
Many have tried to explain our political differences. Any attempt to understand political differences best starts with understanding our differing needs. All the books I have found tend to dance around the root role of needs, or avoid it altogether.
Most of these explanations favor a partisan side. Haidt’s The Righteous Mind and Wilber’s Integral Politics provide refreshing exception to such bias.
Each of these explanations tend to replicate the generalizing of politics. Unchosen specific needs take a back seat to chosen generalized beliefs.
Each of these explanations gloss over the core purpose of politics, which is to convey publicly affected needs. Without publicly affected needs, there would be no such thing as politics.
Harmony Politics understands politics as the art of generalizing how to agreeably address needs in different situations. That’s what sets this apart.
By starting with the differing experience of needs, and how we generalize what to do about them, Harmony Politics gives you the best understanding of political differences you can find anywhere.
Your needs come first
Before jumping into political differences, let's look at how you need differently from the other side. Which side here speaks more to you? What are your politically expressed priorities?
Is it effective for the equal many?
Can all live equal?
Can we be authentic with inclusion?
Can we prioritize the most vulnerable?
Can we improve our collective capacity?
Can we rely on public goods?
Can we overcome historical oppression?
Are groups being traumatized?
Is it efficient for the meritorious few?
Can individuals live free?
Can we guard social cohesion?
Can we prioritize the most productive?
Can we improve our individul capacity?
Can we rely on private goods?
Can we resist government tyranny?
Are individuals being victimized?
Start with your needs
Anyone trying to understand politics without first understanding the underlying needs risks going astray. Politics is all about your needs, and theirs.
Politics is less about chosen beliefs and more about your unchosen priority of painfully stubborn needs. Politics lets you guard your vulnerable needs under a shared cloak what others should do about them.
You will stay in pain if you persist in believing we choose our needs. Your needs are not open to debate. Neither is theirs.
Your situation in life orients you to a priority of needs. Just as sexual orientation cannot be coerced to fit another's expectations, your oriented priority of needs naturally resists argument.
WHAT IF YOUR POLITICS OUTWARDLY EXPRESS YOUR INWARD ORIENTATION?
WHAT IF YOUR POLITICS OUTWARDLY EXPRESS YOUR INWARD ORIENTATION?
After experiencing Harmony Politics, I dare you or anyone to come up with a better account for our differences.
Think about it. You don't have political differences you can arguably change without first having firm psychosocial need differences you cannot change.
If you need more government supports to live your life fully, then I accept you for that. I do not seek to change you. I may even learn from you.
I can learn to empathize with your pain of fewer met self-needs. And realize how my politics may threaten your more resolved social-needs.
I can learn to love you more honestly.
I can appreciate your priority of needs is quite different from mine. I realize it is not mere beliefs or opinions that your life requires less government intrusions. You don't choose how you need things. Neither do I.
I am sorry if I ever belittled you for experiencing a priority of needs you cannot personally control. You deserve my respect when you say you need to uphold a more traditional way of life. As I trust you to respect me when I say I need a more inclusive way of life.
Let's both dump divisive politics to stop all the hate. Let's encourage mutual respect because we know we are both better than that.
If you need less government interference to live your life fully, then I accept you for that. I do not seek to change you. I may even learn from you.
I can learn to empathize with your pain of fewer met social-needs. And realize how my politics may threaten your more resolved self-needs.
I can learn to love you more honestly.
I can appreciate your priority of needs is quite different from mine. I realize it is not mere beliefs or opinions that your life requires a more active role for government. You don't choose how you need things. Neither do I.
I am sorry if I ever belittled you for experiencing a priority of needs you cannot control. You deserve my respect when you say you need a more inclusive way of life. As I trust you to respect me when I say I need to uphold a more traditional way of life.
Let's both dump divisive politics to stop all the hate. Let's encourage mutual respect because we know we are both better than that.
Your situation in life prioritizes an opposite set of needs than others. That does not make you right or wrong. Or them right or wrong. It makes you different from each other.
If you cannot change your psychosocial orientation to suit others, or others can change theirs to suit you, you can only legitimately argue about what we are to do about our clashing needs. Let's stop hating what we cannot change.
If I am wide-oriented, and must yield to conservative political gains, see its affect on me. If appreciated, I can even endure the sacrifice for the next few years.
It can be an act of love you need. Likewise, I need your love and respect as much as you need mine.
If I am deep-oriented, and must yield to progressive political gains, see its affect on me. If appreciated, I can even endure the sacrifice for the next few years.
It can be an act of love you need. Likewise, I need your love and respect as much as you need mine.
HATE: Insisting others need as oneself and vilify 'em if they don't.
LOVE: Respecting how others need differently than oneself.
Are you more
WIDE
oriented?
Do you focus more on
WIDE RELATIONSHIPS
to include the excluded?
Be affirmed for who you are.
Be thanked for all you give.
Are you more
DEEP
oriented?
Do you focus more on
DEEP RELATIONSHIPS
to be close together?
Be affirmed for who you are.
Be thanked for all you give.
To all wide-oriented
liberals,
thank you!
To all wide-oriented
liberals,
thank you!
“As someone who does not lean Left, I send this heartfelt message to everyone who does. Thank you.
“Thank you for looking out for the little guy, the marginalized, the historically oppressed, the easily traumatized, the invisible minority, the economically disadvantaged, and all you do to make sure my need to overcome discrimination gets proper attention. Thank you.
“Sure, you sometimes support things that are problematic for me. Like emphasizing rules you enforce by impersonal authorities that actually marginalizes me further. Or lumping me in a group that depersonalizes me further.
“But none of that diminishes how much I appreciate all you have done, and are doing, to make sure my needs as a historically disadvantaged minority get some due attention. Thank you for those things you do that I benefit from personally. Again, I say thank you.”
To all deep-oriented
conservatives,
thank you!
“As someone who does not lean Right, I send this heartfelt message to everyone who does. Thank you.
“Thank you for looking out for my rights as a small business owner, for helping ensure my tax and regulatory burdens do not discourage me from striking out my own, and for supporting an economy where anyone can be compensated for their valuable contributions. Thank you.
“Sure, you sometimes support things that can be problematic for my life. Like reacting to what’s new or different that I’ve experienced as spiritually healthy all along. Or presuming your religious or material values must apply exactly the same to my life.
“But none of that detracts from how much I appreciate all you have done, and are doing, to make sure my needs as a creative individual get their due attention. Thank you for those things you do that I benefit from personally. Again, I say thank you.”
TRANSCENDING OUR POLITICAL POLARIZATION
TRANSCENDING OUR POLITICAL POLARIZATION
The fight is not between liberals and conservatives.
They merely experience a different priority of needs.
Overgeneralizing on either side is the true threat.
Political overgeneralizing easily fuels hate.
Temporary generalizing offers relief from strained needs.
Political generalizing itself rarely resolves needs causing pain.
Overgeneralizing liberals and overgeneralizing conservatives are a threat to resolving the needs that keep you and I in pain.
We either support each to fully resolve each other's needs,
or no one's needs can fully resolve. Then we all stay in pain.
The fight is against generalizing hate.
Let's fight this with the specifics of love.
TL:DR? Then click here to view a 21-minute video.
If you want to overcome political polarization, then
RELATE YOUR NEEDS more than DEBATE THE ISSUES
RELATE YOUR NEEDS more than DEBATE THE ISSUES
Relate to the needs on both sides of each political issue.
WIDE ORIENTED
Immigration
EASY ENTRY
Climate change
REGULATED
Gun safety
GUN CONTROL
Abortion
PRO CHOICE
Healthcare
GUARANTEED
Criminal justice
TRANSFORM
Economy
MORE REGULATED
Racism
COMMON SYSTEMIC
See this exemplified in
8 Key Issues
Depolarizing
IMMIGRATION
Depolarizing
CLIMATE CHANGE
Depolarizing
GUN SAFETY
Depolarizing
ABORTION
Depolarizing
HEALTHCARE
Depolarizing
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Depolarizing
ECONOMY
Depolarizing
RACISM
DEEP ORIENTED
Immigration
VETTED ENTRY
Climate change
NATURAL FIX
Gun safety
GUN RIGHTS
Abortion
PRO LIFE
Healthcare
MARKETPLACE
Criminal justice
REFORM
Economy
LESS REGULATED
Racism
RARE PERSONAL
NEED A HAND TO APPLY THIS?
NEED A HAND TO APPLY THIS?
Depolarizing Politics with Love
Join our Facebook group Depolarizing Politics with Love. Keep up with daily (or near daily) inspirational posts. Start a conversation with others who seek love over exaggerated political differences. See what is possible when daring to put the politicized needs of others over oneself.
Be heard
Need someone to listen to you unwind? Need to offload political tension? I am here to listen to you, regardless of your political views. Seriously. You can be a far-left communist or a far-right identitarian, or anyone in between or beyond. I trust you can trust me to see beyond labels, once you read through the Harmony Politics tool.
Schedule a live session with me over Zoom or texting. Talk to me about a political issue of grave concern to you. Talk to me about reaching across the aisle. Talk to me about connecting with others beyond our polarizing differences. Let me know how I can best serve you.
Book a free consultation to start. The first paid session is only $25 for a 25-minute session. You tell me how I can apply this to fit you. You set the agenda, by letting me know how I can best apply this to your political or politicized needs.
Click the button below to see which option bets fits your needs.
The last option gives counselors an opportunity to advocate for their client’s politicized needs. This segues into our pioneering advocacy service.
Campaign Advocacy
You have the option to apply Harmony Politics to create supported political change. We call it an advocacy campaign.
We advocate for the politically powerless. At the same time, we improve the responsiveness of political leaders to constituents’ needs. We build a bridge between the two.
We create a conciliatory process you cannot find anywhere else. We give the reins to the politically powerless. We help them grow social support to speak truth to political power. We position them to command the respect of the politically powerful. All with the power of love.
Click here to learn more. Or click the button below if ready to join or start your own campaign. Registration is required. Following a campaign is always free. Start your first week of invested support for free.
MY STORY
I exist for this moment. I am compelled to transcend political sides much as I am compelled to transcend the gender binary. While nominally transgender, I consider myself a "transspirit" who is spiritually compelled to unite divisive yet complementary sides.
I am neither liberal nor conservative, or anyplace between. I am compelled to resolve specific needs, apart from social pressures to generalize about what to do about our painful needs.
After earning degrees in theology, anthropology, sociology, public admin and counseling, I developed the skills and finally found time to go public and share this with you. Several iterations of it unfolded these past few years.
Defusing Polarization
I first publicized this clarity into politics as a Udemy eCourse. "Defusing Polarization: Understanding Divisive Politics" is to date my most throughout explanation. Perhaps too thorough.
Empower Politics
After seeing low enrollments and less engagement, I spelled much of this content out in a series of articles here. By calling it "empower politics," I envisioned replacing divisive generalizing with a more active role in resolving politicized needs.
Unifying Politics
Then I switched to calling this "unifying politics" when applying it to a long list of political issues. I tried creating a subscription service, but did not get far. By the time I finished eight of these issues, I switched again.
Harmony Politics
Now I am calling it "harmony politics" to link your politics, and theirs, to each other's needs. But what is in a name? All these versions give you a better explanation for political differences, and polarization, than ever offered elsewhere.
Anankelogy, the study of need
How did I find a better account for political differences eluding those perhaps smarter than me? Because I founded a new branch of study: anankelogy. So I was able to start at the roots of politics, realizing it only exists to express and address publicly affected needs.
Value Politics
Speaking of need, I hoped to earn a living from this. For now, I am offering Harmony Politics or free. And trust enough folks need me to walk through it to start my consulting career. I have a conciliatory process for us to get back to resolving our overgeneralized specific needs. I'd love to share it with you.
So please join me in replacing divisive politics with empathizing with each other's different priority of needs. Let's spread some love.
Value Relating is led by Steph Turner and Alisha Turner. Together, we are creating an apt answer to the alarming problem of political polarization.
Join us in meeting the challenges of divisive politics with better understanding of one another’s differing needs. We did. Let us help you find and grow such love.
