Special Guest Commentary: "Considering the Conservative Perspective"

Elizabeth Roberts is not a conservative. She's not a politician, and she's not a political advocate, either.

Roberts is a South Flordia child-care provider who is a frequent poster at the US Conservatives forum. After reading her unique and insightful perspectives on a variety of controversial issues, I asked her if she'd be willing to undertake an experiment by opening her mind, stepping outside her comfort zone and considering the conservative point-of-view. She agreed and embraced the idea with relish.

What she found when she opened her eyes to a new way of looking at the world surprised her and impressed me. Perhaps you'll find some value in what she had to say.

From the article:

After a few years of watching the news every night and reading and discussing issues on political forums such as this one, I’ve found that people don’t listen to each other. Surprise! Most people (myself included) form their views and then defend them. When they come across someone who says something that might shake that belief a little, they try to “save face” by stubbornly clinging to their position rather than admitting the other person might have a point. No one learns anything; no one understands the other’s perspective and no compromise or solutions are possible.

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