Neither this nor that - then what?

They say the left brain is all about logic, language, and math.

The right? Imagination, emotion, and the big picture.

One breaks the world into parts.

The other connects them into patterns.

Interestingly, those traits often show up in our politics.

People with a strong need for order, rules, and clear structure?

They tend to lean conservative — left-brained in style.

Those more open to ambiguity, empathy, and change?

They often lean liberal — right-brained in tone.

Of course, no one lives fully in one hemisphere.

Our brains aren’t silos — they’re symphonies.

But somewhere along the way, I think we took the left-right brain metaphor

and turned it into a society-wide identity war.

We chose a side — and sometimes forgot to keep the whole.

⚖️ Balance Isn’t Neutrality

People talk about being centrists these days.

Some mean it with integrity: “I listen to all sides.”

Fair enough.

But sometimes, “centrist” just means:

“I don’t want to take a side.”

It’s a position of avoidance, not balance.

Let’s be honest — there’s no such thing as a value-free center.

There’s no “centrist policy” that exists in a vacuum.

Every real-world stance — on speech, economy, justice, education —

emerges from values that lean somewhere.

The so-called “center” is often a place where values overlap,

not a magical realm of neutral truth.

The real question is not where you stand, but what you stand for — and why.

🔄 When Both Sides Make Sense

Some of my values lean right: I believe in discipline, responsibility, and the power of tradition when it’s rooted in love.

Some of my values lean left: I care about inclusion, dignity, and the right to challenge what no longer serves us.

And I know many people who live with that same inner tension —

not because they’re indecisive,

but because they’re honest.

They’ve stopped trying to “pick a side.”

Instead, they live in the middle of the dynamic —

grounded in values, not in tribes.

🚨 The Danger of Extremes

Take anything to an extreme and it collapses in on itself.

• Far left? You risk perversion — ideals without structure, boundaries erased in the name of progress.

• Far right? You risk intolerance — structure without empathy, purity enforced at the cost of peace.

Extremes operate like single hemispheres —

functioning without their other half.

But the brain doesn’t work well like that.

And neither does a human.

And neither does a democracy.

🧭 So Where’s the Real Center?

It’s not in between.

It’s beyond.

The real center isn’t the fence.

It’s the meeting point where clarity, conviction, and compassion live together.

It’s not neutrality — it’s integration.

It means asking:

“What value is alive in me right now — and how do I live it with integrity?”

That’s not a weak question. That’s a wise one.

It’s not indecision — it’s discernment.

🧩 In the End

I’m not left.

I’m not right.

I’m not center.

I’m an aspiring thinker with values.

I struggle to uphold them — daily.

I try to anchor in emotions and feelings,

to reclaim my mind from the grip of reactivity.

And I know I’m not alone.

There are many who walk ahead of me —

quiet giants of clarity and compassion.

I watch them with respect, not envy.

I tread forward — cautiously,

but with enthusiasm —

trying to expand my humanity

one value, one moment, one breath at a time.