We are always trying to find the good in others because we believe that all others are basically good. We want to believe that others are just as civil and as moral as we are. We want to believe it so much that we’re often willing to take the other person at his/her word. There are areas in this country, for example, where folks will tell you that a handshake is as good as a signed contract: They believe that joining right hands and oscillating them up and down makes the agreement valid.
Even when there is conflict between us, we want to believe that trust is the key to resolving it. “Let’s lay our cards on the table,” we tell each other. “Let honestly state our points of contention,” we encouragingly state to the other person/s.” Our belief, of course, is that the other side will state their honest, moral concerns; and after they've listened to ours, both sides will be able to come to a resolution. We, Americans, believe in this so strongly that we promote it in all walks of life: Peer mediation in schools, arbitration in businesses, civil courts for small-claim disputes. . .
In the good ol’ days, before radio and television stations became monopolies, and local and national newspapers became extinct, Americans could afford to be trusting, in part, because they were better informed on issues. However, in today political climate, where misinformation driven by greed dominates the news concerning everything in our lives (our jobs, the economy, the national debt, our state debt, government spending, taxes, Medicare, Medicaid, social security, insurance, education, . . . ) we can no longer afford to simply trust the words of others. We must begin to try and find the facts for ourselves by conducting our own independent research. Making ourselves socially and politically well informed is the only strategy that can saved the United States of America!
