VIDEO: A Graphic That Shows How Liberals and Conservatives See The World Differently

I believe that much of what motivates the politics we express are deep-seated reactions and beliefs within us.

As seen in this chart…

Each ring is represents connections to us—with immediate family at the center, people in our country in the middle ring, and the entire universe on the outer-most one. The “heat sensor” measures the intensity of each group’s moral obligations.

…people who identify as conservative feel a stronger moral obligation toward those closest to them—family, friends, community, country, and so on. Whereas those on the political left feel a stronger affinity toward broader networks: humanity, the Earth, even the universe.

Knowing this, one suddenly understands this inclination to emphasize one aspect over the other—the immediate environment versus the universal—and how others may feel differently then you on this dynamic.

Harms occur when these views are isolated and radicalized, leading to overlooking the needs of one's community (liberals) versus being cold-hearted about the needs of those outside of it (conservative). On the other hand, harmony occur when the two perspectives complement each other.

In this video, I conclude with how we might proceed to have these two sides of the human coin work in tandem, satisfying both the needs of the near and far—the community and the universe.