Over the past year, as I have traveled approximately 50 miles to work each morning, and then back home again, I have become pretty familiar with the route.
I know which places tend to bog down first with rush hour traffic, I know where the police usually like to sit and watch for speeders. I know where the accidents typically happen, and I know which lanes are best to be in at certain points of the road.
Example: About a mile before a certain freeway exit, it's a good idea to move from lane 1 or 2 over to lane 3, because invariably, lanes 1 and 2 get bogged down at that point. However, you're wise to move back into lane 1 just as you get to that exit, because traffic from the onramp will bog down lanes 3 and 4 almost immediately as you pass under the bridge.
I'm going to liken this freeway to my lifestyle... Lane number 1 (the far left lane) representing the left... or liberal... side of things. Lane number 4 (the far right lane) representing the right... or conservative... side of things.
I am a social moderate, who typically hangs out in lanes 2 & 3 Getting too far in either direction hasn't ever proved productive for me. The far right lane is usually clogged with the slow and cautious drivers, who could easily represent the slow and cautious people in society who impede progess and change. The far left lane is where the Mario Andretti wannabe's hang out, those in real life who are all about progress and change, but far less cautious than their slow-lane counterparts. While the rest of the freeway moves at a steady pace during rush hour, the left lane is characteristically "stop & go"... People who need to go faster, need to stop faster... and remain at a dead stop longer than any other lane.
And while many people think that it's the fast and progressive ones that the cause of most accidents and harm on the road, there is surprisingly a near-equal amount of responsibilty to be doled out to the slow drivers who impede the flow of traffic, exactly obeying the posted speed limit when the flow of traffic is much higher. And then there are those who weave in and out of lanes and ideaologies at a high rate of speed, recklessly affecting the journey of many others, and whose only thought is for themselves, and how they can get ahead of everyone else. These usually make the best politicians.
I am certainly all about compassion, and am quick to donate money (if I have it) to helping other people, whether it be in a third-world country, or parts of our own country where mother nature has wreaked a bit of havoc, or even the occasional down and out person standing on the side of the road with a cardboard sign. Third-world debt reduction? I'm all about that too... if done wisely. In these and many other ways, I identify with the fast-lane liberals.
There are ways that I align myself with the cautious slow-lane conservatives as well: I'm all about border security, especially when you have multiple reports of "OTM's" (Other than Mexicans) coming across the southern borders... especially when they're identified as being of Arabic descent. I mean, how many Mexican Arabs do we have that are dying to get into the "Great Satanic Nation" for good reasons? Anyone? Anyone?
Set the wayback machine for the infamous 11th of September, 2001. The terrorist acts that brought down two manhattan skyscrapers and destroyed a section of our military's central strategic center were perpetrated by people living inside the U.S. at the time. It's a lot easier to plan and execute acts of terrorism if you're on the inside, and can observe, and "case the joint", so to speak.
This is also where I'm fine with the government analyzing data from phone records and looking for patterns. Kingfisher threw out a scenario on a previous post where this data could possibly be used against you, and he has a valid point. However, if the government looking at phone records and identifying patterns ends up netting some terrorists and stopping some horrific acts, and saving lives, then - to me, at least - it's worth it. Especially if the lives saved includes a loved one.
And then there's the whole argument of "rights". Somehow, if you were to magically transport the country's founding fathers to any one of the several mosques in America where "firebrand" imams preach violence against the infidel, and openly support terrorist acts against America, I believe they would find it hard to label that simply as "free speech". Until just 30 to 40 years ago, this kind of behavior was labeled as "treason". I believe the right to privacy ends when it affects the safety and well-being of others. Consider this: If certain evidences pointed to a meth lab being just a few houses away, would you be more concerned about the safety of yourself and those around you, or the privacy of the guy living with the meth lab?
There is a lot of concern that the current administration of this nation isn't trustworthy; that their actions and intent are nothing but deceptive and nefarious at best. My response to that is: Maybe you're right. But then again, maybe you're not. There is such partisan bickering, such widespread slander, villification and defamation flooding through the political world that Jesus himself could be president, and you wouldn't know whether you could trust him or not. There is a point, though, when it comes down to "Do you put your trust in the hungry jaguars that are chasing you through the jungle, or the rickety-looking rope bridge that might get you across the chasm and to safety?"
So my advice for driving on the freeway of life: Drive a little bit in every lane. The more you drive the road, the more you'll develop a feel for how it flows, how the traffic moves around you. You'll discover which points clog up quickly, and which points open up to endless vistas of beautiful scenery. Drive a little in each lane, and get to know what traffic is like for other drivers... see the road from behind their windshield a few times. Be a little bit liberal and progressive, be a little bit cautious and conservative, and spend some time in between. Variety is the spice of life, and as the good book says "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven"
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