Toward a Balanced Society

The meanness and vituperation of the contemporary scene show no signs of abating.   Despite alarming instances of violence, politicians are still at each other’s throats, while the media remains as vulgar and ill tempered as ever.  Is there no way to end the vicious partisanship?

Recently I suggested a “social individualism” solution to our ideological logjam.  If we learn to be emotionally mature individuals who make decisions based on “principled realism,” we may be able to reconcile many of our competing interests.

Nonetheless, I fear that some of my recommendations may be misunderstood.  I have contended that not only liberalism, but conservatism and libertarianism are obsolete.  They, on their own, cannot help us overcome the partisan rancor.

But this does not mean that they can no longer contribute to our collective welfare.  Although they may not answer all of our needs, they can answer some of them.  Together, if they are balanced against each other, and if they respect our social and personal limitations, they can make life easier.

Let us start with religion.  We are an increasingly secular society, but belief in a deity remains widespread.  Spiritualism has been part of the human condition for as long as we have any records.  It is therefore safe to say that it is not going away.

Furthermore, religion provides warmth and reassurance to many lives.  It comforts people in the face of a frightening universe and furnishes a reason for living.  These benefits are too useful to be jettisoned.  As a result, religion should be preserved and protected.

Next we must deal with our market economy.  The freedom to buy and sell goods in the marketplace has enabled us to become wealthier and more secure than any previous generation.  We eat better, are more comfortably sheltered, and are even more extensively entertained.

Capitalism has not, irrespective of socialist complaints, enslaved people.  It actually provided the resources for democracy, thereby enabling people to enhance the quality of their lives.   And so, the free market too ought not be discarded.  It also deserves to be preserved and protected.

Then there is the welfare state.  The federal bureaucracy may have grown arrogant and sclerotic, but it continues to supply a safety net for millions who might otherwise suffer.  They too eat better, sleep better, and are better educated than they would be without these services.

If religion and the marketplace have added our security, so have the programs administered by the government.  While these may sometimes be inefficient and overbearing, most of us would not want to do without them.  Thus, they also merit being preserved and protected.

It is accordingly not a question of getting rid of any one of these.  None ought to be eliminated so that the sole survivor can dominate everything we touch and do.  Not only would this be overly restrictive, but it would soon demonstrate that a dogmatic monopoly was unworkable.

What is thus necessary is not the complete victory of one set of partisans over the others.  If a crucial balance is to be achieved, a reciprocated appreciation that no collection of ideas has all of the answers is indispensable.  Mutual respect is consequently in order.

Human life is complicated and our societies are even more complicated.  As a result, there can be no simple solutions to our metastasizing problems.  A bit more humility, accompanied by huge doses of realism and principled behavior are essential if we are to flourish.

This is supposedly the best-educated generation ever, but it is not very well informed if it does not respect the limitations inherent in our situation.  We can never have all we want or be all we want.  Sometimes we need to settle for what the universe makes available.

This must begin by accepting the fact that none of us has a corner on truth and goodness.  From time to time, we all need to make room for the other guy’s insights.  These need to offset our own so that solutions can come from multiple directions.

It used to be said that politics is the art of the possible.  Americans likewise once understood that compromise was central to our national institutions.  Unless we reclaim these truisms, we may never achieve the balance to prosper.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University