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In a world filled with a seemingly endless supply of complex issues and challenges which only appear to grow more and more complicated with each passing day nothing could be more alluring than the idea of simple answers, or at the very least simple questions.
Dividing things into two categories, and two categories only, can make any concept feel simple and easy to decide. A or B, tall or short, young or old, rich or poor, queer or straight, pro-pineapple-pizza or anti-pineapple-pizza, the list could go on forever. While there certainly are issues of opinion which can fit into a two camp model the tribal mentality is the ‘either-or’ approach taken to its most dangerous and destructive extreme. And the truly important questions and challenges in our lives are never that simple.
Oversimplifying an idea down to an ‘A or B’ framework can severely limit our ability to thoroughly examine it. Comparisons can be helpful as long as it remains an ‘or’ approach which allows room for discourse and exchange. The danger begins when we let that ‘or’ cease to be a mere category separator and allow it to take on an underlying ‘with me or against me’ stance.
When we start to let our feelings…