Read Widely

I like to read Ross Douthat of the NYT.  I am more of a liberal than he is.  He makes me think.  He does not give flippant responses to issues.  I used to read William F. Buckley, of "National Review" magazine because he made me think.  I had to ponder my own position, how did I come to it.  This keeps me from becoming a lazy liberal,  or a lazy Catholic, reading only what I like, going to a church that suits my way of seeing things, living in a neighborhood where everyone is like me and so on.  I like to dialogue with people who disagree with me.  "Why do you think that?" or "How did you come to that conclusion?" I might ask and then listen, without making a quick judgment or thinking of my rebuttal.  I find some of my liberal friends reject Douthat but don't seem to give much of a reason why.  I find that many conservative reject me thoughts on a blog, but don't give much of a reason that indicates that really thought through the hard parts of life's ambiguities.  On both the right and the left I find that often anger cuts short a dialogue or openness to the "other."  Anger often hides a wound.