The Cold War Turned Inwards

I have a new friend and I've been trying to understand her. It was so easy as kids, to understand your friends, I suppose because we all wore our characters like clothes. 

It was right there to see. It sure isn't later on. There's layers and evolution and the changing of someone's personality in relation to circumstances and experiences. 

And there's concealment, depth and the reserve that comes with time. Growing up as I did, with kids whose parents grew up with my parents, the context helped. 

There is still a little leap of faith needed, more so as you get older. What I mean is that, as adults, you have to let go of the desire to contain people and to resort to simple characterizations. You have to just believe in them at some point and hope for the best.

It's not only presumptuous to try to comprehend someone but it's impossible. If you don't let that desire go you get distortion, as with the Republicans.

Their need for security and certainty means they make stuff up. They fill the gaps with a leap of non-faith. They default to suspicion, as they did with the commies. 

And now the suspicion is turned on us. They don't think that Democrats are really Americans. They think we're the enemy. They want us gone.