It’s interesting to observe the angst, for different reasons, over the proposals in the “Project 2025” document and how groups associated with the extremes of any side use project 2025 as a bi-polar psychological weapon.

My point?

The overwhelming majority of humanity, not just Americans, lives in the middle – or what used to be middle. All of us spend too much time anymore on the shiny extremes and not enough on the rational middle. Why? Because the ordinance in this war is 100% extremism – it’s all about “shock and awe.”

For Example:

Prior to 2020, one of my step sons (a liberal college grad) was railing against the “prison industrial complex.” I was peripherally aware but was put off by the misappropriation of “industrial complex”; his description made it extreme in my mind. (make a PsyOp note on that last bit). And then, after Jaunuary 6, I began supporting the J6 POW’s; visiting jails, courts etc. Not only was he, my step son, right but it’s a rage we now both share.

If not for extreme language, we all might agree more.

Now, is it possible to identify what we agree on regarding “Project 2025” through the fog of extremism’s?

Extremism’s are polarizing by nature and it’s on purpose. They’re a huge part of marketing, including politics, because they’re effective, but are they necessary in our interactions?

The second hand smoke argument was polarizing because both sides went to extremes and became divided on the issue. The truth in polarizing arguments is ALWAYS somewhere in the middle. Just yesterday, I was talking to my mother about the recent overturning of Roe v Wade. I had to explain that there has never been legislation passed at the federal level legalizing abortion. That judges cannot legislate from the bench and that the 1973 decision was wrong because the federal government had no jurisdiction; that such jurisdiction belongs to the states. If I put aside the question of “Right or Wrong” regarding abortion, the jurisdiction point is in the middle. Beyond opinions on the topic, lobbying state legislators for legislation is the constitutional process the people can and should engage in in their home state.

To be sure, It’s a challenge to identify the middle through the fog of our own extremism’s, and we all have them. All to often our mental and emotional reflexes cause us to chose and defend our position without the intervention of any internal analysis. It’s rare that we see this in our day-to-day existence without practice. For purposes of educational demonstration, a knowledgeable friend of mine, @RealCoachMel, asked a question in a post a couple weeks ago – I’m paraphrasing here; “What’s wrong with project 2025 and why?” Done correctly, for every item identified in project 2025 one would need to ask oneself the question; “Do I agree or disagree?” and then, the most important part, look in the mirror and answer the question of “Why?” How does one come to believe what they believe or favor one construct over another? The answer, if explored correctly, is amazing, but I’ll leave that discussion for another day. For now, we all need to map out middle ground.