Anyone who reads both my blog and Aaron at two or three . net will know that we’re pretty much at opposite ends of the political spectrum. I’m very much a liberal, and he’s a self-described conservative. But his post today entitled “What is compassion?” echos a lot of what I’ve been saying and thinking. Now, I’m not calling Aaron a liberal. I’m sure we disagree on a great many things.

Rather, his post asks that those who hold views different than his respect the fact that his positions are the result of an honest sense of compassion.

Many (most?) sites that I read with a political slant take a very adversarial stance when it comes to political opponents. But I think it’s important to realize that, regardless of political affiliation, the vast majority of people hold their positions because they truly believe in them, or, at worst, that they haven’t thought them through. Attacks against such people only result in digging in their heels, not “conversion.” I happen to think that many conservative priorities are misguided, and I’m sure most conservatives would return the favor. In all probability, we’re both right. It’s in dialog, not in fighting, that we’ll solve problems.