it's my party, you can cry if you want to

Being part of a group and feeling a sense of belonging is important - after all, we're human. We're by nature a social animal. Yet I am dismayed by the partisanship of American politics. Once someone chooses one party or another, too often it appears that they no longer think for themselves, that their choices and decisions from then on will be decided by that particular party. It's fully understandable to find oneself aligning with a certain way of thinking and then naturally with the leanings of one party over the others, but then to give up one's individuality in the process, the ability to think independently and perhaps even 'cross party lines' every once in awhile is such a shame.

I suspect that not going far enough one way or another is somehow seen as being weak or 'wishy-washy.' As if declaring oneself a moderate is like telling the world "I'm not committed either way, so help me make up my mind." However, I see the moderate as being more open-minded and willing to give the different issues more thorough consideration, taking bits and pieces that make sense and thereby creating a whole, as opposed to leaning further and further to the left or right and ultimately losing the capacity think at all. And then it becomes that most ominous of age-old sources of conflict us vs. them.

Creating an atmosphere of us vs. them with broad, community-based strokes can lead to conflict. It's sated through the use of such activities as sports and other competitions, but often escalates into real confrontation, whether in the political arena or even war. Those of us with the inclination to forgo moderation and choose sides (political parties) end up closing the very minds which we are so fortunate to have.