Common Sense vs Madness
It started like any other argument online: capitalism versus socialism, nationalism versus communism, left versus right. The usual keyboard-warrior battlefield, each side convinced the other was insane. But after a while I just sat back and thought that maybe all sides are a bit right. Every party holds an aspect of the truth. Maybe everyone is looking at the same world and calling the reflection in the mirror madness.
Of course, I have my own political views.
I lean one way more than the other. But the difference, I think, is that I can still see what the other side wants, the kernel of good intention buried under all the humbug.I understand the socialist’s dream of fairness, the nationalist’s longing for belonging, the environmentalist’s fear of loss. These are all human impulses, often distorted by ego and rhetoric, but not inherently evil if not taken to the extreme.
What matters to me is not the slogan but the life behind it. Do you live what you preach? The person who tweets about multiculturalism from a gated compound is not better than the businessman who rails against socialism while living off state contracts. The guy who blocks traffic for Fridays for Future and then "privately" flies to Bali on holiday is a confused child, not a serious political being.
I do not mind what people believe as long as they are honest about it. If you do not lie to yourself, you can be almost anything: socialist, capitalist, conservative, progressive. Just do not fake conviction to feel superior, and do not act as a higher kind of human. We have seen how terribly that ended.
All things considered, it is not really common sense versus madness. It is probably more honesty versus self-deception. The real fight isn’t between left and right, it’s between those who face themselves and those who shy away, no matter the flag they wave.