Getting through the discomfort.

We are living in times my fellow human beings where we feel divided regarding all aspects of life. And the divide is real for many families and friends as battle lines have been drawn and many valued relationships destroyed.

Thomas Sowell, author, economist, and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute, (a person I invite you to learn about) wrote in his book ‘A Conflict of Visions’, about the political divide that stems from the unconstrained vs. the constrained vision. To get past the discomfort and madness, we must be willing to let go of our ignorance.

“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain”.

- Thomas Sowell -

What is the unconstrained Vision?

It is the belief that there exist some people who are further along the path of moral and spiritual development, they have overcome self-interest, and are immune to the influence of power, and therefore can act as surrogate decision-makers for the rest of society.

What is the constrained vision?

It is the belief that human nature is essentially unchanging and that humans are naturally self-interested, regardless of best intentions. Those with a constrained vision prefer the systematic processes of life like the rule of law, and the experience of traditions. They also believe in checks and balances and find it challenging to accept that all people could put aside their innate self-interest.