Politics require compromise and prioritzation

 I've said this before. Politics requires compromise of one moral values. Whether religious, spiritual, humanistic you have to compromise. It doesn't matter if you're left or right politically. You're compromising. 

I come to this from a religious background. One of faith and both spiritual and religious. And it's a struggle. 

Most of us religious will at some point struggle with dogma, have a faith crisis, struggle with rectifying a doctrine. Religion isn't cookie cutter make to fit. Politics aren't either. They're bigger than us and that requires a compromise.

Let's own it and talk about it a little bit more. It's not a bad thing. 

We all have a set of morals. For many of us it's developed through our religious practices, cultural norms, or human experience. We know for ourselves what's right and what's wrong and we have drawn our ethics around how best to observe that. From person to person it varies. 

I can't write about this subject without detailing and disclosing my biases and experience here. I'm religious. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I grew up in the church. That knowledge would lead some people to immediately identify me as a member of a specific political party or leaning. You know which one. It ranges from Mitt Romney to Donald Trump. But I broke the mold. 

See while I'm a member of the church I'm not just a member of that class. I'm a disabled veteran. I've been reliant on medicaid for my children at times. I've lived in various parts of the country. I have a wonderful wife and children. We've needed WIC. And I'm bi. I was a music major at one point who's currently transitioned to certifications in mental health. All of those things are outside of the lived experience for many members of my faith. 

Now that intersection of my faith and lived experience I have formed my morals. To bring my priorities to fruition and live my morals I've made my decisions on policy, What I give preference to and what I'm willing to compromise. 

I'm not going to delineate the compromises others make. I'm just going to illustrate some of mine and how I've come to decide on what's most important to me when deciding on representation and policy.

The most important thing to me is civil rights. It personally comes before everything else. And within the realm of deciding deference or need within civil rights is who has been most harmed and marginalized. Given the strength of religious liberty (especially for christian denominations) I tend to lean toward bolstering LGBTIA+ rights to a similar level. Increasing legal immigration and refugee access is high on my priority list. 

How I approach the pro life/pro choice abortion situation is one where my nuance shows through. I weigh toward exceptions, decision making, and protections for women's health above all others. Recognizing what has reduced abortion is contraception and sex education etc.

Other aspects of policy that matter a lot to me. Increasing access to treatment for veterans. Increasing overall mental health access. Working on solutions to our healthcare crises. Increasing safety and standards for healthcare workers. Finding ways to retain teachers and improving public education. 

The candidates that support these things that prioritize what I find most important often have differing standards when it comes to foreign policy. Supported the Afghanistan withdrawal for instance. I also constantly compromise on gun issues. I'm more pro gun and nuanced than many of the candidates I vote for. That's where I have to break ranks. Hunting and conservation. How to integrate religious liberty and worship often differs. 

That's the nuance and requirement that comes of it. Compromise. Both politically. And morally as well. I grew up with the idea that there was one proper political spectrum for someone of my faith. Since then I've realized that the world is bigger than that. That the convictions I hold and morals I have require work. Require prioritization. Require compromise. 

We all need to remember that's how the system works. It's not all or nothing. If it becomes that it stops working. 

We all value things differently. Period.

I forgot that and reflecting on that was necessary.